The Northern Beaches has the second highest number of alcohol-related domestic violence incidences in Sydney, newly published statistics show.
Initially flagged by The Sydney Morning Herald in July, the statistics show that over the past decade, alcohol was involved in close to half of reported domestic violence assaults in more affluent areas, including the Northern Beaches.
The Northern Beaches had the second highest proportion of domestic violence assaults involving alcohol at 42%, behind North Sydney at 45% then followed by Woollahra at 40%. The data doesn’t refer to alcohol-related domestic violence convictions, but entries into the NSW Police database. Overall, our rate of violence was lower than most areas however. (You can view local crime statistic trends for our area in this fascinating document.)
Manly MP James Griffin was among one of the first to share the data on social media, signalling to his constituents it was time to rethink our collective relationship with alcohol.
“The recently reported statistics demonstrate that domestic violence doesn’t discriminate by postcode,” Mr Griffin told Manly Observer.
“We may live in a generally affluent, laid back area, but this sinister issue impacts our community as much and, in many cases more so, than other parts of Sydney.”
“We may live in a generally affluent, laid back area, but this sinister issue impacts our community as much and, in many cases more so, than other parts of Sydney.”
The high rates of alcohol-related domestic violence assaults are attributed to the local government area’s (LGA) socioeconomic affluence.
“Higher socioeconomic areas tend to see higher rates of risky drinking, which could be due to a range of factors, including having more disposable income and greater access to venues supplying alcohol,” according to Dr Erin Lalor AM, Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s CEO.
With the rise in online sales of alcohol, home deliveries at a click of the button and within a matter of hours at any time of the day, including late into the evening, Dr Lalor pointed out that this has increased the risk of alcohol-related harm, including family violence.
On a side note, affluence in a community also increases the likelihood of abusers who use their privilege and power to control their partners, in ways like financial abuse or using their connections and resources in the community to intimidate their partners and carry out legal-system abuse. Coercive control is something we covered recently in an article.
Alcohol and domestic violence
Mackellar MP Dr Sophie Scamps said these statistics are a wake up call for the Northern Beaches.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that violence against women is a national emergency in our country, and the Northern Beaches is no exception,” she said.
“The strong link between alcohol intake and domestic violence is deeply shocking but not surprising. Alcohol related violence is sadly all too common in Australian society.”
Hannah Mayjor, Communications, Advocacy and Impact Officer at Women and Children First (WACF) explained that alcohol is a contributing factor to violence rather than the root cause.
For many WACF clients who experience coercive control by their partners, such as gaslighting, controlling finances and verbal abuse, they report that when their partner is drinking alcohol, all these behaviours worsen and sometimes escalate to physical violence.
“We know that alcohol as a substance increases testosterone, which can affect some people in different ways, such as becoming more aggressive,” Hannah explained.
“It also lowers inhibitions, including perceptions of risk and reduces impulse control.”
Sporting events are another contributing factor to alcohol-related domestic violence.
Hannah explained that the correlation between certain major sporting events and gendered violence is well-documented.
“A study by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) found domestic assault rates increased by 40.7 per cent in the 12-hour window between 6pm and 6am on State of Origin nights,” she said.
“For men who already have a tendency towards violence, control and disrespect of their partners or children, the intensity of a game night combined with the increased alcohol use is a strikingly dangerous causal factor in their choice to use violence.”
Dr Lalor added that while alcohol doesn’t cause violence, acknowledging its role in family violence is a critical part of the wider effort to protect women and children.
“Data shows that alcohol is involved in between 23 and 65 per cent of all family violence incidents reported by police,” she explained.
“Sadly, research also shows the use of alcohol by offenders increases the severity of family violence, leading to higher rates of physical injury.”
Dr Lalor called for a suite of measures to regulate alcohol to help prevent family violence. These included stronger regulations around the online sale and delivery of alcohol, regulating the density of alcohol outlets, like bottle-shops, and stronger, enforceable regulations around the promotion and advertising of alcohol.
Hannah added that alcohol is a modifiable risk factor as a contributor to violence and abuse.
“If, as a community, we can accept the reality that, for some people, alcohol increases their risk of perpetrating all sorts of crimes, like, domestic violence, breaching Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs), stalking, sexual assault and even non-domestic violence related assault, we can start to reduce this modifiable risk and therefore reduce incidences of alcohol-related crime,” she said.
What do these statistics mean for domestic violence services on the Beaches?
Everyone who Manly Observer spoke to had the same clear message: Northern Beaches domestic violence services are’ running on fumes’ with the limited funding they receive to help residents experience domestic violence.
“At WACF, we’re grateful for the government funding we receive, however, with the current demand, it only covers approximately 200 of the 800 plus women we support yearly,” Hannah said.
“Funding directed to domestic violence services will often prioritise [areas] with higher police reported incidents of domestic violence.
“Whilst we may have the highest rate of alcohol-related domestic violence incidences in Sydney, we do not have the overall highest rates of domestic violence.”
She explained that police reported domestic violence isn’t a good measure to judge an area for funding needs.
“Here on the Northern Beaches, we have a lot of financial/economic abuse and other forms of coercive control that is just as insidious and destructive as physical abuse but results in fewer police call-outs from concerned neighbours or referrals from hospitals where victim-survivors have gone for treatment for physical injuries,” Hannah said.
Many domestic violence victims also choose not to report their abuser for a number of reasons.
“We have some hope that the very recent criminalisation of coercive control will bring more attention to other forms of abuse which are just as dangerous and incredibly prevalent in our area,” Hannah added.
Dr Sophie Scamps emphasised to Manly Observer that women’s shelters across the Beaches have reported that they cannot keep up and turn away scores of women and their children every week.
“This is unacceptable. We need immediate bipartisan action across political parties and levels of government to get serious and address this domestic violence crisis,” she added.
James Griffin, who has been a patron of the Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter for seven years, recently advocated for a lift in the ‘maximum affordability limits’ in the Northern Beaches.
“In plain speak, this is the amount that can be provided as a rental subsidy for someone seeking refuge,” he explained.
“At the moment, it’s capped at $350 a week for a single bedroom. That doesn’t get much in Manly, let alone the rest of the Beaches. The tragedy is, because the Government won’t increase the cap, there is funding available in that program that isn’t being used.”
Jodie Harrison, the Minister for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, replied to Mr Griffin that the government was not in a position to change the cap.
“I’ll continue to advocate for that to change,” he added.
While the situation around funding may seem like a big hurdle, Hannah explained that there are actions the Northern Beaches community can do to help curb the alcohol-related domestic violence statistics.
“Learn how to stand up against disrespect when you see it,” she said.
“If you know a friend is having trouble in their relationship and is drinking excessively, encourage them to slow down or seek help.
“And help your local frontline domestic violence services through donations, volunteering or engaging with us online. This support enables us to continue helping vulnerable people in the community who need assistance to leave abusive relationships before they are subjected to further abuse, violence, or worse.”
Help and Support
National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service 24-hour helpline 1800RESPECT: counsellors are available 24/7 via call: 1800 737 732, text: 0458 737 732 or online chat or video call via their website (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
Men’s Line Australia: 1300 78 99 78
National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline: 1800 250 015
If you are worried about your own, or a loved one’s alcohol or other drug use, Path2Help, will connect you with local services in your area that can help, based on your personal circumstances.
