Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

An Australian dies almost every hour—yes, every single hour—from alcohol, drug and gambling harm. One in four Australians will struggle with the misuse of alcohol and other drugs or of gambling in their lifetime. Note, these describe the individual impact, without the compounding human, social and economic cost for all Australians and Australia. Evidence, data and lived professional experience should weigh heavily in decision-making because it is those things, not emotion or well-meaning intention, that must triumph and trigger the right action every single time.

There are real people in those numbers. Indigenous Australians as a group are much less likely to drink alcohol, but those who do, do so at more harmful and dangerous levels. Our mean age at death from alcohol attributable causes—cirrhosis, organ failure, brain damage, haemorrhage—is about 35 years, every one of those deaths preventable. In South Australia, alcohol related hospitalisations are three to four times higher than that of the general population. The representation is highest from those in remote and very remote regions.

The recent Rethink Addiction conference had a clear message of hearing from those with lived experience rather than through representations constructed by other people. I heard from them that real change is possible with frank and fearless conversation, dispelling myths and ending the stigma that stops people from getting help. Data is a big issue. No, actually, it's a significant issue. It's there, and we need to use it. It is, however, not often easily interrogated or comparable across borders, making it easier to hide or even ignore the true impact. That has to be addressed. We can do better.