How did closing pubs at 6pm impact alcohol-related harm in the 20th century?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-12-06 03:00

Australia; VIC

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For much of the early 20th century, pubs in some Australian states were only allowed to stay open until 6pm, a move that Australian researchers now say had positive impacts on alcohol-related harms, especially before World War II. The researchers compared a number of statistics on alcohol-related harms with early closing laws, which were introduced in 1916 and remained for 21 to 51 years depending on the state. The researchers say early closing was associated with lower alcohol consumption, lower liver disease mortality, lower drunkenness before World War II (they increased after the war) and lower homicide rates. The researchers say while there were clear benefits before the war, those benefits became less clear after, and of course we aren't likely to ever see pubs close so early in Australia again. However, they say this historical data is an interesting perspective to add to current debates around opening hours for pubs.