By medical reporter Sophie Scott 30 Jun 2017, 12:44pm
More than three quarters of court cases where local communities are against big alcohol stores being built are being thrown out because judges do not have to consider the health impacts of planning decisions.
Key points:
- Public health and family violence impacts are not considered by courts when deciding whether to approve liquor stores
- Advocates say loophole needs to be closed to prevent stores being built in areas with high domestic violence rates
- Alcohol industry says most licensing authorities already consider public interest
In the first study of its kind, researchers from the Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, based at Sax Institute and the George Institute for Global Health, found that in more than 75 per cent of cases across Australia, the courts found in favour of the alcohol industry.