National Drug and Alcohol Awards

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and reduce alcohol and other drug use and harm

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Groote Eylandt Alcohol Permit Committee recognised as a finalist in the National Drug and Alcohol Awards

The Groote Eylandt Alcohol Permit Committee in the Northern Territory has received recognition as a finalist in the 2008 National Drug and Alcohol Awards for Excellence in the Law Enforcement Category.

An alcohol management permit system, managed by a committee made up of key stakeholders such as Indigenous Elders, community councils, and government departments, has been successfully introduced on Groote Eylandt.

Since introducing the permit system, an evaluation has shown there has been a reduction in alcohol related harms specifically in the following areas:

public drunkenness fell by 75 percent from 2004–05 to 2005–06, returning the number of incidents to 2002–03 levels
the number of persons placed in protective custody feel dramatically from 90 in 2004–05 to only 11 in 2005–06 — while 2004–05 was a year with a particularly high number of persons in protective custody, the 2005–06 figure was a four-year low
a 52 percent decrease in property crimes in 2005-06 compared to the 2004–05 period — house break-ins had the largest decrease of 86 percent, and commercial break-ins, motor vehicle thefts ,and other thefts decreased by more than 50 percent
incidents of disturbance fell 60 percent from 2004–05 to 2005–06 — these figures were the lowest in the past four years, being 40 percent lower than in 2002–03
police callouts for aggravated assaults fell by 67 percent in 2005–06 and was the lowest for the past four years
the number of adults admitted to correctional centers from Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island was also the lowest in four years, with figures 23 percent lower than for 2002–04
the commencement of probation and parole or other conditional liberty orders fell by 42 percent from 2005–06, reaching a four-year low; and
work attendance improved among Indigenous employees at the local mine — absenteeism for Indigenous employees dropped from 7.8 percent in 2004–05 to 2.4 percent for the 2005–06 period.

Although difficult to quantify, all interviews during the evaluation highlighted that there has been significant improvement in social function within the Indigenous communities after the permit system was introduced.

In particular, there was reduced violence and increased harmony reported which was linked to an increased engagement in work or other productive activities.

The two other finalists in the Law Enforcement Category are the Queensland Police Service Party Safe initiative, and the Queensland Corrective Services’ Indigenous Peer Education Program — the overall winner will be announced on 27 June in Melbourne.

It is estimated around 10,000 Australians now work directly in drug and alcohol treatment across Australia with a further 8,500 in associated sectors.

Sponsors of the awards are the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (Principal sponsor), the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (major sponsor); VIC Department of Human Services (major sponsor), The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (major sponsor), VIC Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (sponsor) and NSW Health — ActNow (supporter).

Media Enquiries

Brian Flanagan, Manager Strategic Communications and Policy, the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA)
Phone: 02 6281 0686 (w), 0400 860 058 (m)

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