Lockout laws helped cut booze-related injury cases in Australia

A new research published by the Medical Journal of Australia suggests that the late-night pub and club lockouts in NSW have reduced the number of life-threatening booze-related injury cases and hospitalisations near St Vincent's hospital in Darlinghurst.

The authors of the study state that the reduction in the number of injuries had been observed across the entire week, however, the fall was more significant over weekends.

During the study, Emergency department director at St Vincent's hospital, Professor Gordian Fulde, compared the number of hospital admissions because of booze-related injuries in the 12 months after and before the controversial lockout reforms were implemented.

Fulde reported a 25 percent decrease in the number of category 1 and category 2 admissions, covering time-critical patients and life-threatening injuries. He noted the study findings could have implications in Queensland as well.

"It's massive for the human beings, the patients, the relatives and these are people who are really at risk of dying, let alone have severely broken legs, pelvises, brain injuries,” said Fulde in an interview with the Brisbane Times. "It's massive, the cost saved to the system and the hospital as well."

The number of alcohol-related serious injuries across the two years fell from 318 to 246. At the same time, the number of seriously injured patients between 6 pm on Friday to 6 am on Sunday fell from 140 to 106.

The alcohol laws were introduced in NSW in 2014 following the deaths of Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie. The Australian reported that the law required all licensed premises in King Cross and central Sydney to refuse entry to people from 1:30 am. In addition, it restricts all such premises from serving alcohol after 3 am.

Director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Don Weatherburn, says that even though the fall is spectacular, it still needs to be investigated whether the reform has curbed drinking or if it is keeping the drinkers out of the city

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