Liquor licence not a right

Alcohol is not a commodity like rice or potatoes. It is a drug which can cause great harm. That is why the power to sell it is heavily regulated. This is the context for the row over a new liquor licence application in Newtown. The applicant, who wants to switch from selling spices to alcohol, accuses health officials of making ‘‘unfair’’ approaches to local people.

This follows a separate liquor licence application where police admitted using ‘‘poorly worded’’ communication after they were accused of trying to drum up opposition. Police do seem to have been overzealous then. Any arm of the state has to be careful in this area.

They are the guardians of the public interest and the police most certainly have a responsibility to fight and arguably prevent the harm caused by abuse of alcohol. But the authorities have to make sure that they are not seen as crusaders in the cause.

In the present case, a Regional Public Health (RPH) officer visited homes and buildings near the spiceselling business, telling neighbours about the liquor licence application. The RPH denies it went too far, saying the approaches were standard practice and part of its regulatory job.

This won’t satisfy the applicant, of course, whose commercial interests are at stake. But this is a much wider question than the private interests of a particular business.

The applicant tries to make a case that his liquor store will bring extra income into an area that lacks it. He also says that similar suburbs have more liquor stores than Newtown, and that ‘‘everyone’’ wants the new store.

Perhaps the new liquor store will bring more money into the area, although presumably most of it will flow into the store owner’s pocket. But it is also likely to bring social harm as well. And whether ‘‘everyone’’ supports the application is doubtful. The 2010 Law Commission report on liquor laws showed that the more alcohol outlets there are, the more consumption there is likely to be. And greater consumption tends to go along with greater abuse.

The commission showed the tremendous harm and damage that alcohol abuse does. It noted the very large number of liquor outlets in poorer areas, where many people are often already under enough stress. .

The liquor law changes that followed the commission’s report gave extra powers to communities to oppose new liquor licences. So the health authorities were entitled for two good reasons to spread the word about the new application. That is their job – to fight the harm caused by liquor and to uphold the rights of communities.

It is the police and the health system, after all, that have to deal with the harm caused by alcohol abuse. They are absolutely entitled to inform the community about a liquor licence application and to form a view of their own about the application. They will then give informed advice to the tribunal that makes the final decision.

This might inconvenience the interests of would-be liquor merchants. But that is as it should be. The ability to sell liquor is a privilege, not a right.

Alcohol is not just another commodity.