For as long as alcohol fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour continue within Australian society because of our drinking culture, it will be necessary to carry out initiatives like Operation Unite.

Operation Unite lasted over 2 nights in early May in the city of Knox and Syndham in Melbourne and regionally in Bendigo and Shepparton.

Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said those aged 18-25 had been over-represented in arrest statistics. “But we can’t arrest our way out of this,” he said. “The whole community’s got to think about their behaviour … I think I’ve said a number of times this is an issue about cultural change.”

Police visited 726 licensed premises, citing 39 venues. The blitz resulted in 106 arrests for drunkenness, 23 for assault, and in 41 drink-drivers being nabbed.

“It’s unfortunate that Governments and Oppositions acknowledge this problem and support initiatives like Operation Unite, but fail to address the root causes of alcohol-related harm,” the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA), Mr David Templeman, said.

“Governments and political leaders are only paying lip service to what can now only be described as ‘a chronic community disease’ and must take direct action to address the pricing of alcohol products, the easy access and availability at liquor outlets, and self-regulated advertising to expand markets.”

“While ADCA has strongly supported Operation Unit over the past two years, the need for such initiatives would have decreased dramatically if governments at all levels had actually acted on recommendations made public by leading Australian researchers, the Government’s own Preventative Health Taskforce Review which called for wide reform measures, and in submissions to Parliamentary Inquiries.”

“What needs to be done now is for Governments to take-up the challenge to address the pricing of alcohol products and related marketing activities which may help to reduce last year’s statistics of around 14,000 Australians being hospitalised, and lower the annual cost to our economy estimated at $36 billion,” Mr Templeman said.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA)