A public health expert has predicted poorer health outcomes and a rise in violence upon the opening of Dan Murphy’s Launceston.
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The Bathurst Street development attracted some talk at a panel discussion on Wednesday exploring how Tasmania could become the nation’s healthiest population by 2025.
Health Minister Michael Ferguson was quizzed on alcohol-related harms by ABC Radio National journalist Norman Swan, who argued the risks were similar to those posed by tobacco – a product Mr Ferguson has strongly targeted.
Mr Ferguson said it was an “open question” whether the opening of Dan Murphy’s was good or bad.
“In the end, you’ve got to have regulation that’s sensible … [and] empower and support people to know what their risk factors are,” he said.
“In the end, we’re all individuals with rights, and you do have the right to make poor health decisions.”
VicHealth chief executive Jerril Rechter said the negatives were clear.
“You will see, as a result of packaged liquor, an increase in harms, in violence in the community, and an increase in harms in the health outcomes of the population,” she said.
Dan Murphy’s Launceston, once opened, will take up 1,232 square metres in the old Officeworks site and stock more than 4500 liquor products.
It will be open between 9am and 9pm seven days a week and join an existing 66 general and off-licence liquor outlets in the greater Launceston area.
A number of representations were made against the granting of a liquor licence to Dan Murphy’s, with social service group UnitingCare one of many to point out licences were refused at Ravenswood in 2010 and 2013.
“Launceston does not need another liquor store of the scale of the application and ... granting a licence to Dan Murphy’s will lead to additional harms due to its size and accessible location, and the site of the application is a 10 minute drive from Ravenswood, where alcohol abuse remains a problem and it is not in the interests of the Ravenswood community to have more cheap liquor available,” the group wrote.
A consultant working for Dan Murphy’s wrote: “Woolworths is a market leader in the responsible service of alcohol, goes well and truly beyond legal compliance in this space, and is 100 per cent committed to the principle of harm minimisation.
“In considering whether the proposed Dan Murphy’s would be in the best interests of the community, Dan Murphy’s would be the first in Tasmania and would be a significant benefit not only for Launceston but for the wider Tasmanian community in establishing a store which would give customers access to a wider range and choice of products, competitive pricing and great quality service.”