Research Released on Liquor Outlet Density and Assaults Correlation

The Association of liquor outlet density with domestic and non-domestic assault in NSW (Report) was published on 6 June 2023. The report is available here.

ClubsNSW met with Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) to discuss the report prior to it being released publicly. L&GNSW indicated the report will be considered by ILGA and contribute to the evidence base that helps to guide liquor licensing decisions in NSW, but should not be considered as showing what causes the outcomes.  

The report aims to assess the relationship between changes in liquor outlet density in NSW LGAs and incidents of domestic and non-domestic assaults for the period from November 2015 to November 2019. This period was chosen as it was pre-COVID-19 and post the change from perpetual to annual licence fees. 

There is currently limited research in NSW on this topic.

Key findings of the report include:

• LGAs with higher liquor outlet density were associated with higher rates of alcohol-related assault.
• Implementing a control on liquor licence density could reduce the rates of domestic and non-domestic assault in NSW, particularly in urban regions, areas with lower socioeconomic status, and those with higher concentrations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• On average each additional liquor outlet in an LGA was linked to a 1.3 per cent increase in domestic assaults and a 0.63 per cent increase in non-domestic assaults.  Additionally, one liquor outlet increase in an LGA was associated with 2.19 per cent and 1.73 per cent increases in alcohol-related domestic and non-domestic assaults, respectively.
• Non-domestic assaults per 100,000 people were more common in areas with more hotels. Clubs had the opposite effect and were linked to lower non-domestic assault rates per 100,000 people.
• There are possible threshold levels of liquor outlets per 100,000 population for an LGA (about 551), above which each new licence may cause a greater increase in the number of domestic and non-domestic assaults.

It is not clear how ILGA will use this report. ClubsNSW will monitor liquor licensing decisions to assess any potential impact of the report.

The report notes the findings should be treated with caution due to methodological limitations that include:

• Trading hours – only extended and not reductions to trading hours were captured.
• Outlet size, capacity and the volume of alcohol sales were unknown.
• The mixture of premise sub-types within the definition of on-premises (i.e. restaurants, cafes, karaoke venues, catering companies, vessels and nightclubs) varies substantially across LGAs.
• Data on hotels and clubs selling takeaway liquor was unavailable.
• Delivery-only packaged liquor businesses were removed due to the delivery LGA being unknown.
• In March 2015, the liquor licence scheme was changed from perpetual to annual, the full impact of this change wasn’t recognised until 1 November 2015. The association differed significantly before and after this date. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ClubASSIST on 1300 730 001 or [email protected].