The tragic death of a young woman in Victoria has sparked a call for major changes to alcohol delivery laws, with restrictions on late-night deliveries among numerous other recommendations.
In September 2023, 30-year-old Melbourne woman Kathleen Arnold died from alcohol toxicity, with her blood alcohol level at least 11 times the legal driving limit. As reported by SBS News, she is believed to have consumed at least one bottle of wine and half a bottle of vodka.
A ruling released on Tuesday by Coroner Ingrid Giles has highlighted the alarming role that easy access to alcohol through delivery services played in this death.
Giles has called for sweeping reform to tackle alcohol delivery, proposing a ban on deliveries between 10pm and 10am.
She also suggested a two-hour waiting period between placing an order and dispatching alcohol.
“The circumstances in which Kathleen died, tragically illustrate the consequences of Victorians being able to have alcohol delivered to them swiftly, easily, and late at night,” Coroner Giles said in her ruling, per news.com.au.
“Access to alcohol via delivery platforms undermined the tireless efforts of Kathleen’s mother and the clinical team who supported her.”
It is understood the 30-year-old had a history of substance abuse and mental health issues, and numerous attempts to maintain sobriety were compromised by the ease of ordering alcohol from delivery services.
In the six months leading up to her death, Arnold is understood to have made over 200 delivery orders, nearly half of which contained alcohol like wine, vodka, and cider, as reported by news.com.au.
The Liquor Control Victoria inspector also found two restaurants supplying her with alcohol in volumes exceeding delivery restrictions. One of the restaurants is believed to have delivered outside its licensed hours.
According to Arnold’s mother Jennifer Martin, she raised concerns about the delivery services to her local MP as early as mid-2022, citing instances of excessive deliveries and a lack of proper ID screening.
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) has expressed strong support for the coroner’s recommendations, with its chief executive Caterina Giorgi urging the Victorian government to act.
“Kathleen Arnold was a young woman in her 30s who lost her life – this is absolutely devastating and should never have happened,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We’ve had a number of families share with us stories of loved ones who have lost their lives to alcohol, and how the delivery of alcohol into people’s homes played a significant role in this.”
With the ease of online delivery, “every phone is a bottle shop”, Giorgi said, noting alcohol can be delivered into people’s homes as quickly as half an hour.
The latest coroner’s report joins a broader conversation about online alcohol sales in Australia. Prior to this, a 2023 study by Frontier Economics, commissioned by Retail Drinks Australia, explored claims of whether online alcohol orders are “fuelling a generation of tech-savvy liquor consuming millennials”.
The comprehensive study — delving into industry sales data from nearly 9 million transactions — suggested consumers use online purchase and delivery a handful of times annually.
It found the vast majority are comfortable receiving their products in the days following their orders and that such services are primarily used by people over the age of 35.
Speaking to SBS News, Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association chief executive Chris Christoforou explained the organisation had seen a 50 per cent increase in demand for alcohol treatment since the boom of alcohol delivery services following the pandemic.
“Given the gap in regulatory controls and the growth in these services, people that do have chronic dependence issues, like Kathleen, the consequences are that they fall through the gaps,” he said.
However, he did not agree that banning the services offers a viable solution, instead proposing improved regulation and more education.
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