Commentary – The cost of poor policy implementation and maintenance: The Northern Territory’s alcohol floor price

N. Taylor, R. Baldwin, and M. Livingston, “ The Cost of Poor Policy Implementation and Maintenance: The Northern Territory's Alcohol Floor Price,” Drug and Alcohol Review (2025): 1–4, https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.70056

The Northern Territory’s (NT) minimum unit price (MUP) imposed a minimum price point that retail alcohol could be sold from October 2018. The MUP was associated with unique reductions that could not be attributed to other alcohol policies in alcohol consumption, ambulance attendances, assaults and emergency department presentations. Two government-commissioned evaluations into the policy declared that it was successful in its aim to reduce cheap wine consumption. Despite this, the MUP was removed on 1 March 2025 by the newly elected NT government due to a perceived ineffectiveness.

This brief Commentary argues: the performance of the NT MUP should not be assessed without carefully considering its implementation and maintenance; the MUP initially succeeded in what it was implemented to do – reduce the consumption of cask wine – with clear evidence of further unique health and justice impacts; and, policy makers should learn from the implementation issues of the NT MUP and address them when considering future alcohol pricing policy.

Read the full article here.

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