Alcohol can affect health and wellbeing in two broad ways, long-term impacts and short-term impacts. Guidelines developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council recommend limiting alcohol consumption to 10 standard drinks per week to reduce long-term risk of cancers, including breast, stomach, and bowel cancer. The same guidelines recommend limiting consumption to no more than four standard drinks in one day to reduce risk of injury or accident in the short-term.

VicHealth defines risky drinking as ‘consuming alcohol products in a way that carries a substantial risk of physical, social or mental harm to the people drinking or to others, either from a single occasion or cumulatively. VicHealth’s Alcohol Cultures Framework aims to guide public health action on risky drinking cultures to promote low-risk drinking where people do not feel pressure to drink, occurrences of drinking are reduced, and intoxication is discouraged.

Council’s current policy position is outlined in the Minimising the Harm of Alcohol Policy Statement 2016. This policy aims to mitigate the negative impacts of alcohol by adopting a harm minimisation approach, focusing on demand, supply and harm reduction. More specifically, it articulates seven areas for Council commitments and actions:

· Land use planning – ensuring that licensed venues and liquor outlets are appropriately located to protect amenity and health of local communities.

· Council land and resources – influencing the availability and consumption of alcohol products on Council land, within Council facilities, and as part of Council activities.

· Regulation and the built environment – managing the consumption of alcohol products in public places through regulation and improvements to the built environment.

· Partnerships and networks – working with government agencies, community organisations and support services to prevent harm from alcohol.

· Community awareness and education – improving community understanding of risky drinking and harms associated with alcohol.

· Advocacy – advocating for regulatory, policy and program reform to prevent harm from alcohol.

· Research, monitoring and evaluation – supporting local research and maintaining current data on the social and economic impacts of alcohol in Hobsons Bay.

You can have your say by completing our community survey, which provides an opportunity to share your experiences, views, and suggestions for preventing harm from alcohol in Hobsons Bay.

The Community Survey will be available from Tuesday 28 November 2023 until Friday 19 January 2024.