Emergency Director expects lockout laws to reduce alcohol-related presentations
The decision to change Queensland's lockout laws has been welcomed by the Director of our Emergency Departments.
Last month Dr David Green was part of a Gold Coast Health team who lobbied for change at a public hearing for an amendment bill tackling alcohol-fuelled violence.
Dr Green, who has seen the reality of the results of alcohol-fueled violence filtering through our hospitals for the past 15 years, was pleasantly surprised the changes made it through State Parliament yesterday.
"The management of this problem has to be evidence-based and the evidence from the Newcastle and St Vincents studies is quite clear," Dr Green said.
"The NSW experience in similar type precincts to what we have on the Gold Coast has shown over time to have a significant reduction in alcohol-related trauma. This includes a reduction in sexual assaults and a reduction in the charges laid by police of assault causing grievous bodily harm.
"We hopefully look forward to a reduction in these totally avoidable types of presentations that cause terrible injuries and even death in people who are young and have their whole adult lives in front of them."
