National Alcohol Sales Data Project (NASDP) - Stage 3

The National Alcohol Sales Data Project aims include:

• Construct an ongoing, regularly updated, national database of standardised alcohol sales data, containing specifications described below for all Australian states/territories;
• Monitor alcohol consumption trends by regularly estimating per capita alcohol consumption for all participating states/territories;
• Provide an annual report on consumption by region (e.g. LGA) containing summaries of alcohol sales data and per capita alcohol consumption estimates for all participating states/territories and the Commonwealth; and
• Provide standardised alcohol sales data sets for use by jurisdictions.

The Commonwealth Government, via the Intergovernmental Committee on Drug Strategy, has funded the Drug and Alcohol Office of Western Australia and the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University of Technology, to develop the NASDP. It is anticipated that the NASDP will be ongoing (subject to review) and funded individually by the five stages with the option to extend at each stage as a variation at a later date. At the completion of each stage a national report will be produced on levels and trends (where applicable) in alcohol consumption for all jurisdictions and the Commonwealth.

The first annual National Alcohol Sales Data Project report was submitted to the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy for approval in early 2010. This report is based on data received from three jurisdictions: Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. As part of the project’s aim to produce a national database of standardised alcohol sales data, a National Wholesaler Producer List has also been compiled.

Stage 2 (2010) of the NASDP is now underway and this year will trial three different population estimates in the calculation of per capita alcohol consumption in 2010. This will be undertaken in order to move towards the objective of estimating the average amount of alcohol consumed by individuals in a particular population at a particular time as accurately as possible.