In October 2018, the Northern Territory government introduced a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol of $1.30 per standard drink. This paper examined the alcohol expenditure of drinkers not targeted by the policy to assess industry claims that the MUP penalised all drinkers.
Based on post-MUP drinking patterns, the research found the MUP policy was associated with an increase of AU$3.07 (0.94%) in annual alcohol expenditure for moderate consumers. For heavy alcohol consumers, the increase was AU$37.12 (1.28%).
The paper provides evidence that counters the alcohol industry’s messaging, enabling an evidence-based discussion in an area dominated by vested interest.
Read the full paper
