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Speaker 1: Now. Earlier this week, the Northern Territory government scrapped the

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Speaker 1: minimum unit pricing for alcohol. While the move has been

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Speaker 1: welcomed by plenty of Territorians, it has also drawn criticism

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Speaker 1: and concern from medical professionals as well as advocacy groups,

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Speaker 1: who say that the governments removed a crucial measure to

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Speaker 1: reduce alcohol related harm in the Northern Territory. Now, the

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Speaker 1: Australian Medical Association President, Doctor Robert Parker joins me on

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Speaker 1: the line right now. Good morning to you, doctor Parker.

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Speaker 1: We might have to just try that again. Good morning

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Speaker 1: to you, doctor Parker. Hello, Hello, hopefully I've got you

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Speaker 1: on the line now, doctor Parker. What was your reaction

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Speaker 1: to the scrapping of the floor price earlier in the week.

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Speaker 2: Our disappointment. I mean it's well recognized through a number

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Speaker 2: of studies that four points is one factor that can

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Speaker 2: help produce damaging alcohol control. I mean there's a whole

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Speaker 2: range of different factors, but obviously impact on the current

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Speaker 2: situation and the MT. But there's good evidence from a

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Speaker 2: study in Scotland also a local study by Mendies that

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Speaker 2: flour points does actually have an effect. So I thought

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Speaker 2: we were disappointed that the evidence hadn't been reviewed by

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Speaker 2: the government, who and who may have reconsidered the season.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, look, it is one of those things. I mean,

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Speaker 1: we keep hearing that the floor price was having an

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Speaker 1: impact in a positive way. I know that for a

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Speaker 1: lot of people that listened to the show, they sort

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Speaker 1: of anecdotally didn't agree. You know, they felt as though

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Speaker 1: there was still lots of glass bottles and you know

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Speaker 1: a lot of a lot of people still getting their

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Speaker 1: hands on alcohol regardless of the price. When you talk

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Speaker 1: about that evidence which you know, what do you think

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Speaker 1: does demonstrate that it was actually working well?

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Speaker 2: Again with the evidence, which is scientific evidence had and

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Speaker 2: this is again a safe in Scotland, and also a

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Speaker 2: local study appeared to show it had something unfore which

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Speaker 2: I haven't got the studies in front of me at

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Speaker 2: the moment. But again, you know you've often and I

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Speaker 2: suppose you've got the scientific view versus the public image exactly.

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Speaker 2: You described of large amount of public drunkenness, significant amounts

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Speaker 2: of alcohol related harm to get repeatedly mentioned in the

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Speaker 2: press and other areas, and you know, large number of

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Speaker 2: the defy bottles. So I suppose there's the science versus

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Speaker 2: the public image, and it's very difficult sometimes to reconcile.

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Speaker 1: It to doctor Parker in terms of the concerns from

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Speaker 1: like a medical perspective. What did it mean you know

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Speaker 1: at the hospital? What are members telling you in terms

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Speaker 1: of presentations and and you know and that kind of thing.

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Speaker 1: Did it have an impact in that way?

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Speaker 2: Well, the major impact obviously we're all aware of what

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Speaker 2: having in Old Springs with introduction of alcohol into what

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Speaker 2: was banned areas, and they had a massive impact on ED,

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Speaker 2: you know, in the very obviously very distressing for the

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Speaker 2: victims and people who were you know people or the

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Speaker 2: victims of alcohol related abuse, but also on the medical

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Speaker 2: staff how to care for them. I mean, I think

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Speaker 2: it's just obviously since that we've wound back to see

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Speaker 2: federal intervention that's been a good thing. But I mean

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Speaker 2: just the way that substance related issues are a massive

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Speaker 2: impact on any d in Australia, but particularly in the

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Speaker 2: and T and there's no doubt that alcohol is the

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Speaker 2: most damaging substance relating to ED presentations.

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Speaker 1: So at this point in time, you know, following on

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Speaker 1: from the official scrapping, I guess forty eight hours ago

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Speaker 1: what are members saying to you? Are they are they

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Speaker 1: worried that this is going to see, you know, an

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Speaker 1: adverse effect. What are they concerned with?

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Speaker 2: Well, I suppose yeah, they'll see that they'll potentially see

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Speaker 2: an upswing or an increase in alcohol related issues presenting.

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Speaker 2: Also they're very concerned again about the rates of domestic

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Speaker 2: violence and two recent deaths related to domestic violence, and

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Speaker 2: you know, and the you whether that's going to continue.

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Speaker 2: So there'll be again an upsurge in severe trauma and

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Speaker 2: or death relating to domestic violence as a result of alcohol.

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Speaker 2: So there's effect medically, but is also the population effect

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Speaker 2: of more women being subject to severe beatings and potentially

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Speaker 2: dying as a result.

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Speaker 1: Well, doctor Robert Parker, I always appreciate your time. I

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Speaker 1: know you're a busy man and busy man this morning,

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Speaker 1: i'm sure. Thank you very much for having a chat

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Speaker 1: with us today.

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Speaker 2: Okay, good to talk to you.

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Speaker 1: Kay, thank you, thanks so much,