Publication Highlights

In October 2018, the Northern Territory government set the minimum unit price (MUP) alcohol could be sold at AU$1.30 per 10 g of alcohol, a minimum price that has remained the same for the past 5 years.

This Editorial compares implementation of MUP policies in the Northern Territory and Scotland, highlighting the impact differences in price point, market share and restricted access to retail data has had on the policy – and on researchers’ ability  to properly evaluate MUP implementation in Australia. It concludes:

• a price point closer to $1.90 should be considered the baseline if Australian jurisdictions expect to see an impact equivalent to Scotland
• there is a clear need for retail data to be made more widely available to properly inform future alcohol pricing policies and monitor impact over time, and
• indexation should be properly implemented to maintain the impact of the policy.

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