St. Vincent's Health Australia is calling for higher alcohol taxes, nation-wide lockout laws, and a complete ban on alcohol sponsorship in sport.
There's no denying alcohol abuse is taxing on the community.
With a federal election just around the corner, St Vincent's Health says it's time for a national strategy on alcohol.
Its chief medical officer is Doctor Victoria Atkinson.
"One in 10 to one in 12 emergency department admissions are because of alcohol related disease or injury, so the actual harm that we're getting from our alcohol drinking is increasing at the moment."
The health provider's issued an election wishlist, proposing a variety of measures to cut alcohol-related harm by 20 per cent within 10 years.
It wants Australia's next government to crack down on consumption by adding graphic health warnings, restricting trading hours, and ending all alcohol advertising on free-to-air TV.
"We know that three quarters of the alcohol that we drink are drunk by 4 million Australians. So there's a tight target market of people that are creating a lot of harm for themselves and the community. It would be about policing those certain areas that we know are at higher risks - the things that we can control"
St Vincent's says the measures will prevent 30,000 hospital admissions per year, and three deaths per day.
They also hope to introduce a minimum price for alcohol and taxes based on alcohol volume.
The money raised from this would be used to end alcohol-related sponsorship of sporting teams.
"It's quite jarring to see a 10 year-old with alcohol-related advertising on their chest and just because it has a sporting team attached to it doesn't make it any more palatable."
The report also calls for the introduction of Sydney-style lockout laws across the country, with bottle shops closing at 10pm and clubs serving last drinks at 3am.
The Australian Medical Association supports the move, saying there's strong evidence of a link between a community's access to alcohol and levels of violence within that community.
While the reforms in Sydney have led to a reduction in alcohol-related violence, they've also prompted widespread protests, and a significant downturn in trade.
Keep Sydney Open Campaign Manager, Tyson Koh says we shouldn't use a one-size fits all approach.
"We're talking about the entire taxi industry taking a dive, we're talking about music venues. There was a 40 per cent drop in ticket revenues in the year immediately following the introduction of the lockouts. We're talking about retail stores, restaurants closing down - the whole city's vibrancy and reputation. We need to get everyone around a table and talking about the best way forward."
That way forward will become clearer after the federal election.
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