Minutes – 12 May 2014
Minutes
Meeting #2 – 12 May 2014 @ 9am
Department of Health, Conference Room, 1st floor, Matt Glynn Building
Meeting Chair / Barb Shaw, President of Barkly Regional CouncilPresent / Jordan Jenkins, Tennant Creek Hotel
Greg Marlow, Chamber of Commerce
Stewart Naylor, Barkly Regional Alcohol and Drug Abuse Group
Pat Braun, Catholic Care
John Baker, Memo Club
Richard James, Patta Aboriginal Corporation
Jane Alley, Dept of Business
Des O’Brien (Secretariat), Dept of Business
Apologies / LT, Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation
Georgina Bracken, Tennant Creek Women’s Refuge
Ian Gabriel, Headframe Bottle Shop
1 Welcome
Meeting started at 9.30am.
The Chair welcomed and thanked the Alcohol Reference Group (ARG) members for attending. Apologies received: Georgina Bracken, Ian Gabriel and LT. The Chair thanked and welcomed the following guests: Carolyn Whyte from the Dept of Attorney-General and Justice, Deirdre Logie and Kim Loveday from the Dept of Health, Donna Cross and Cath Rouse from DCD Consultancy.
The Chair acknowledged and congratulated the owners of Wycliffe Wells Roadhouse for implementing strong temporary measures to tackle alcohol misuse. As a result of a recent death in the surrounding area, the owners have applied a ban on takeaway sales for a period of time.
A) Minutes and Action Items
The Chair asked for any comments on the April ARG Minutes. Nil comments received.
Moved by: Greg Marlow Seconded by: Stewart Naylor
April ARG Minutes accepted and all members in favour.
Des O’Brien went through each action item. Action Items 1, 2 & 8 from the April ARG remain outstanding. The rest are complete.
2 Presentation
The Chair introduced Carolyn Whyte who will present assaults / crime statistics and alcohol consumption data to the members.
Carolyn presented information on NT crime statistics – This includes both domestic violence and other alcohol related assaults.
Background and definition includes:
· Tennant Creek’s population has grown approximately 18% between 30 June 2003 and 30 June 2013
· Assault data included on the NT crime statistics are offences that come to the attention of Police
· Alcohol-related may mean the victim, offender or both
· Involvement of domestic violence is recorded independently of alcohol involvement
Month Assault Offences:
· Assault offences have a peak and trough pattern; December and January the peak and July the trough
· Reported assaults during February 2014 were the lowest February since February 2005.
· Alcohol-related assaults make up approximately 80% of reported assaults
· Non-alcohol-related assaults and assaults where alcohol involvement is unknown make up approximately 20% of reported assaults
· Domestic violence assaults make up approximately 77% of reported assaults
· Crime Statistics are published the 3rd Friday of every month, on the PFES website.
Members asked questions relating to the presentation. Members were particularly interested in deciphering youth crime data in order to formulate AMP strategies.
Carolyn presented information to the ARG members on wholesale alcohol supply data.
Background and definition includes:
· Data is based on wholesaler returns to the Director of Licensing
· The department undertakes substantial data checking for consistency with previous returns before published
· An average period of 6 months between receiving data and publishing the data
· Quantity sold is converted to litres of pure alcohol content for comparative purposes
Wholesale Supply Data:
Discussion arose re wholesale supply data patterns linked to key alcohol interventions
· Evidence of decrease in wholesale supply around the time of the introduction of ‘Thirsty Thursday’ and then increase in wholesale supply in the period post ‘cessation of Thirsty Thursday’
· There was a decrease in wine sales around 2008, at the time of the Tennant Creek Supply Plan, when restrictions were imposed on cask wine and fortified wine
· Post March 2012, there was a spike in wine wholesale supply. Suggested that this may be linked to the introduction of Richlands and Poker Face products
· There seems to be an unchanged pattern in low and mid beer supply
· In March 2008, post the introduction of alcohol restrictions on cask wine and fortified wine there was an increase in heavy beer wholesale supply
· During 2005/06 and 2008, there was a decrease in spirits supply. In 2008, there was a decrease in spirit supply after the introduction of the alco-pop tax.
Action: Carolyn Whyte to distribute presentation to ARG members.
3 Presentation
The Chair introduced Deirdre Logie to present health data and alcohol mandatory treatment (AMT) to the members.
Deirdre presented alcohol related hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) presentations to NT public hospitals over the period 2001 – 2013, including data relating directly to the Tennant Creek Hospital (TCH).
The data is categorised into the following categories: 40% alcohol attributable hospital admission (this includes items such as motor vehicle accidents etc) and 100% alcohol attributable hospital admission.
Tennant Creek Hospital :
· Indigenous men are the highest population sector admitted to hospital for alcohol related conditions
· Central Australia has the highest ED presentation rate in the NT, with an increase trend of admissions from 100% alcohol attributable conditions compared to the Top End
· The TCH has had an increase in ED presentations
Action: Deidre to compile a graph that outlines TCH and ED admissions and related text.
Deirdre presented information on AMT.
An overview:
· AMT already operates in Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine and Nhulunbuy
· AMT will commence in Tennant Creek July 2014
· The assessment facility in Tennant Creek will operate from the TCH. A total of 4 beds have been funded.
· An expression of interest has commenced to source a provider relating to the AMT treatment
· The treatment facility will operate in the current sobering-up-shelter (SUS). A total of 12 beds have been funded.
How AMT works:
· A person that is taken into police protective custody 3 times in 2 months will trigger the AMT process
· The person will go through the assessment phase
o This phase is assessed against health care needs, withdrawal management and assessment for order
· The assessment phase includes an assessment criteria, the criteria does have some exclusions
· Once the assessment is completed, the assessment report is made to an AMT tribunal. The tribunal has delegates from legal, medical and community backgrounds.
· The tribunal decides if the person should attend either the residential treatment (for up to 12 weeks) or community treatment (for up to 12 weeks) or if no order for treatment is required. The tribunal may consider conditions to a person’s treatment order
· Post treatment, the person enters an after care phase. This phase is from 3 to 6 months.
Deidre took questions from members.
4 Presentation
The Chair introduced Donna Cross and Cath Rouse, Donna and Cath have been engaged to work with the ARG in drafting a discussion paper and an initial draft AMP for Tennant Creek.
Donna and Cath conducted a workshop style presentation. The topics included: the definition of a successful outcome, Tennant Creek history on alcohol-related matters, the AMP process timeline and AMP stakeholder engagement questions. The ARG members provided Donna and Cath relevant stakeholder contacts.
Discussion took place on wider community consultation process.
Action: the ARG to host a table at the Tennant Creek show to engage community members on: suggested AMP strategies and/or conduct AMP stakeholders questions (which will further gather information that can be used as an AMP strategy).
5 Action Items
This was completed under Agenda Item 1a.
6 Other Business
The Accord is meeting this Thursday and invited Donna and Cath to participate in the meeting. The Accord will discuss if the voluntary restrictions will continue.
Members suggested conducting a brain-storming session to start tabling suggested strategies to include in an AMP.
Action: Schedule a session with ARG members that focus on strategies to include in an AMP. Previous, current and future strategies to be reviewed and discussed.
Action: Invite Gerry McCarthy to present at a future ARG meeting.
Meeting concluded at 1.00pm.
Department of Business 2