Public drunkenness project

Overview

Laws making public drunkenness an offence have been repealed in most English-speaking countries and most states of Australia, although not in Queensland and Victoria. The Premier of Victoria has committed to decriminalising public drunkenness and to developing and implementing a public health response. A public consultation process is underway to inform the development of this response. Understanding the experiences, needs and suggestions of the people that are likely to be directly affected by a public health response will be important in ensuring that the response is appropriate.

This rapid research project aimed to explore the experiences and needs of people affected by Victorian State public drunkenness laws in order to inform the development of a public health response to public drunkenness. The project team conducted qualitative interviews and focus groups with people affected by Victorian public drunkenness laws. Based on the findings of the study, the project team made recommendations for consideration in developing the public health response to public drunkenness.