Alcohol's link to domestic violence in Australia

Domestic violence within the Australian community has been of wide spread concern in recent years. Between 80-100 women die at the hands of their male partners in a year and in 2014, there were 12561 women who fell victim to domestic violence in NSW, that is averaging 34 cases a day!  

Alcohol is linked to half of partner violence in Australia and 73% of all partner physical assaults with over 21% of women fearful of their male partner’s drinking. Although there are men who are still perpetrators of domestic violence without the influence of alcohol  reports have showed that the risks increase when alcohol is involved with the victim’s injuries being more severe.

The government has stated that only a relatively small proportion of all alcohol related violence are reported to the police and therefore, the statistics are well underreported.

Licensed premises are at high risk of having alcohol related violence, with many of those incidents happening around nightclubs and hotels, in particular those which have extended of 24 hour trading. Government reports have showed that premises which have failed to discourage aggressive behaviour will more frequently attract patrons who will conduct in such behaviour.

Independent Queensland Senator Glenn Lazarus is calling for a national strategy to reduce alcohol related violence. Senator Lazarus will put an inquiry forward to the Senate, and if the vote for the inquiry is successful, it would then be taken by the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, of which Senator Lazarus is chair.

“I am determined to do something about the scourge of alcohol fuelled violence which is impacting so many people and so many communities across Australia,” Senator Lazarus said “States and territories are dealing with the issue of alcohol fuelled violence in different ways. Some states are doing more than others… Clearly, as a nation, the Federal Government needs to show leadership and develop in partnership with all states and territories a national strategy to address the issue in a consistent and comprehensive manner.”

Former Olympic Boxer Bradley Hore was inspired by recent domestic violence and one-punch attacks and started the “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” campaign, where he has taken the hashtag #keepyourhandstoyourself and posted a picture of the words written on the palms of his hands on social media. 

Being brought up in a typical Chinese family in Australia, Vivian takes pride as an ABC (Australia-born Chinese) where she happily embraces both the Chinese and Australian cultures. 

In high school, Vivian wanted to become a fashion designer, however she has developed a passion for running events after working backstage for multiple live shows. Prior to starting at Akolade, Vivian worked 4 years in the wine industry and she misses the wine tasting sessions and openly drinking on the job. As the Marketing Coordinator, Vivian enjoys using her creativity to design unique and fun campaigns for each event. In her spare time, Vivian loves to spend time with her adorable cat and dog.