First Nations Australians’ experiences of current alcohol policy in Central Australia: evidence of self-determination?

November 2022
Citation: 
Stearne, A.E., Lee, K.K., Allsop, S. et al. First Nations Australians’ experiences of current alcohol policy in Central Australia: evidence of self-determination?. Int J Equity Health 21, 127 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-022-01719-z

Alcohol is the leading cause of healthy years lost. There is significant variation in alcohol consumption patterns and harms in Australia, with those residing in the Northern Territory, particularly First Nations Australians, experiencing higher alcohol-attributable harms than other Australians.

Community leadership in the planning and implementation of health, including alcohol, policy is important to health outcomes for First Nations Australians. Self-determination, a cornerstone of the structural and social determinants of health, is necessary in developing alcohol-related policy. However, there is a paucity of published literature regarding Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination in alcohol policy development.

This study used semi-structured qualitative yarns with First Nations Australian community members to identify the extent to which First Nations Australians experience self-determination in relation to current alcohol policy in the Northern Territory town of Alice Springs/Mbantua.

Read the full paper and the ‘Facilitating First Nations Australians’ self-determination policy making processes’ Opinion piece