By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
New research has cast doubt over the effectiveness of anti-violence initiatives in central Geelong, according to a Geelong professor.
Professor Peter Miller said preliminary results from his nine-year study indicated that measures such as ID scanners, banned-patron lists, live CCTV monitoring and inter-venue communications failed to significantly affect drunken assaults around nightclubs.
Central Geelong venues introduced the measures in 2007 following a public outcry over alcohol-fuelled violence in the wake of a brutal sex assault in central Geelong.
Last week’s Indy reported that those involved in the Geelong initiatives believed they had been a success.
Prof Miller said his work at Deakin University was part of a nationwide review of initiatives to combat alcohol-related violence.
Among the issues considered in the research was an assessment of assault rates, alcohol-related hospital and ambulance attendances, patron interviews, and observations inside venues.
Early results indicated that some of the initiatives introduced in Geelong might be less effective than they seemed, Prof Miller said.
“Everything we’ve seen is that they’re better than not having anything but they don’t make a statistically significant difference in alcohol-related violence.
“These measures might be preventing a small incident escalating to a big incident but teasing this out in official stats doesn’t come out as you would hope.”
Prof Miller said Geelong venues were unable to influence many factors contributing to alcohol-related violence, such as unemployment and population sizes.
One of the major alcohol-related changes in Geelong nightlife was the rate of patrons drinking before going out, he said.
“In 2008, we recorded pre-drinking rates at 65 per cent of patrons in Geelong.
“Then we conducted the survey again in 2011 and over 80 per cent said they had pre-drunk and now it’s almost 100 per cent.”
Prof Miller linked increasing rates of pre-drinking to higher prices for nightclub drinks.
“People are arriving in the night-time economy drunker than ever before because booze at Dan Murphy’s is cheaper than water in a pub.”
Prof Miller called Geelong’s initiatives a good start but wanted the State Government to take more action.
“We know what to do to reduce alcohol violence but it has to come from a State Government level.”
Reducing the number of licensed venues, restricting trading hours and preventing drunks using public transport to travel between cities could also reduce alcohol-related assault rates, Prof Miller said.
“But that’s up to State Government, which has shown no interest in ending alcohol-related violence.”
