The CLP Government has scrapped the $1.30 minimum floor price for alcohol despite calls from NT health organisations and community leaders to keep the measure in place, which they said has been effective in helping to reduce alcohol-related harms across the Territory.

The CLP said that the minimum unit price measure – introduced by the former Labor Government in 2018 – failed to achieve meaningful outcomes and imposed unnecessary burdens on consumers and businesses.

Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Marie-Clare Boothby said removing the minimum floor price aligned with the CLP’s commitment to a practical and effective approach to alcohol policy.

“We are committed to supporting a strong hospitality sector while ensuring alcohol policy is responsible, targeted, and evidence-based… We will not maintain the status quo – we will balance individual responsibility with real measures to address alcohol-related harm,” Ms Boothby said.

“Having a beer at the pub with mates or sharing a bottle of wine over dinner — these are part of the Territory lifestyle, which we are committed to restoring. Governments should not get in the way of that.”

The government had been accused of paying favours to the liquor industry with the move, with the NT Greens previously raising the issue of the Chief Minister’s chief of staff having led lobby group Hospitality NT for many years.

The CLP maintained on Tuesday night that the floor price drove problem drinkers towards higher alcohol products – such as spirits and pre-mixed drinks, driving people to switch to stronger spirits in glass bottles that can be used as weapons.

It was also said that alcohol-related assaults went up by 38 per cent despite the minimum unit price (MUP) being in effect, adding that no other Australian state or Territory uses a floor price as an alcohol harm and reduction strategy.

Ms Boothby said that targeting evidence-based measures such as Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors (PALIs) at bottle shops is a more effective solution for ensuring responsible alcohol sales.

“We will continue monitoring alcohol-related harm in the community and work with licensees and agencies to help minimise alcohol-related harm through reduction strategies,” she said.

However, Danila Dilba Health Service CEO Rob McPhee and Central Australian Aboriginal Congress CEO Donna Ah Chee emphasised the importance of maintaining strong alcohol policies.

Both warned that removing the floor price on alcohol could lead to increased crime, harm to the community, and negative impacts on women and families, such as more emergency visits and children’s hunger.

Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) chief executive Dr John Paterson said it was essential to involve local communities in the discussions and develop effective strategies to combat alcohol-related issues and harmful drinking patterns rather than undermining successful policies.

“We’re asking the NT Government to work collaboratively with us. What we want to maintain and further develop is a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy that protects the health and wellbeing of all Territorians and promotes community cohesion and safety,” Dr Paterson told the ABC.

Program Lead for Alcohol and Other Drugs and a Senior Research Fellow at Menzies School of Health Research, Dr Cassandra Wright, said that there is substantial evidence indicating that the floor price has effectively reduced alcohol-related harms.

“Three years after the floor price was introduced, we saw a 14 per cent drop in assaults caused by alcohol and a 21 per cent reduction in domestic and family violence assaults where alcohol was a factor,” Dr Wright said. “But it’s not the only pricing policy that is effective, and we welcome the opportunity to work with the NT Government to explore all the available options.”

Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation (LNAC) CEO Michael Rotumah also stressed the government should consider different community’s perspectives and base its strategy on solid evidence to prevent and minimise alcohol-related harm effectively.

Meanwhile, businesses in Alice Springs told the ABC this week that they are choosing to voluntarily uphold the minimum alcohol price despite the CLP’s decision to repeal the enforcing law.

Alice Springs Liquor Accord chair Craig Jervis said he was optimistic that most members will support maintaining a floor price, which they plan to adjust based on its original implementation in 2018.

Dr John Boffa, with the People’s Alcohol Action Coalition, praised businesses’ move to maintain a floor price for alcohol but expressed concerns regarding “rogue” establishments that might subvert it. He said that although most Accord members adopted a floor price in 2011, the Todd Tavern and Gap View Hotel, owned by Iris Capital, did not comply.

He described the repeal of the floor price legislation as a step backwards.

“This will do harm… It’s not too late for the government to change its mind,” he told the ABC.