The absence of a Dan Murphy’s in Griffith defies logic, says Oliver Jacques. Photo: Dan Murphy’s Facebook.
If a Griffith man was considering beating his wife, do you think he would calm down and leave her alone upon learning there were only five bottle shops in town rather than six?
This illustrates the folly of continuing to prevent Australia’s biggest alcohol retailer Dan Murphy’s from establishing a presence in town due to its supposedly high domestic violence and crime rate.
It’s a simplistic and ineffective solution to a complex problem and unnecessarily punishes the majority of law-abiding Griffith residents.
NSW Government regulator the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) rejected the popular wine, beer and spirits outlet’s application for a packaged liquor licence in 2022, which meant it couldn’t open its planned store on Yambil Street and sell takeaway alcohol.
“In making licensing determinations, the authority places significant weight on crime data such as alcohol-related domestic assault rates and identification of crime hotspots in suburbs and the wider local government area,” an ILGA spokesperson told Region at the time.
“This data was a key contributing factor in the authority’s decision to refuse the application.”
As this data has not changed significantly over the past three years, it means Dan Murphy’s would still be knocked back if it applied for a licence today.
But here’s the interesting thing about the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures on which the ILGA relied. In 2022, Wagga had a domestic violence assault rate 13 per cent higher than Griffith.
Why is it acceptable for Wagga to have a Dan Murphy’s store but not Griffith?
Alcohol is already available across Griffith at a close distance to most homes. It can even be delivered to people’s houses for free via apps such as Doordash.
There’s no evidence that one extra outlet would make any difference to a major social problem.
It’s also unfair to most Griffith residents, who drink responsibly.
We already have some excellent liquor retailers, like Billabong, who provide wonderful customer service and a great range of products.
But more competition is healthy; it means lower prices, and that’s important while cost-of-living pressures stress us all. Dan Murphy’s also enhances choice by stocking an extensive collection of international booze that you can’t find elsewhere.
If government feels the need to restrict alcohol outlets, a case could be made for it doing the same for other retailers that sell products that are bad for our health.
We all know that childhood obesity rates in Australia are rising, with 26 per cent of Australian children aged between two and 17 regarded as overweight. This has been linked to the increased availability of fast food. Should we therefore have stopped the second McDonalds opening in Griffith?
Most people would agree that individuals are best placed to make their own decisions. We can educate people on the dangers of junk food and excessive alcohol consumption, but bans are generally a blunt instrument that don’t stop people from accessing what they want.
Research indicates there are many factors that influence domestic violence rates – including poverty, social isolation, a belief in strict gender roles and a history of abuse during childhood.
Alcohol can also be a factor, but unless there’s clear evidence that a sixth bottle shop represents a tipping point, let’s give Dan Murphy’s a liquor licence while working harder on combating all the violence risk factors.
