The online ordering and same day delivery of alcohol have become increasingly popular in recent years. It is a convenient service for consumers, a new revenue stream for ACT liquor licensed retailers and employment opportunities for delivery drivers.

The increased access to alcohol through the convenience of online ordering and same day delivery comes with the potential for increased risk of alcohol-related harm to the ACT community, particularly to children and young people, and adults who may be already intoxicated.

We want to balance the convenience of having this service available across Canberra without compromising the important harm minimisation and community safety objectives of the Liquor Act 2010 – which regulates the sale, supply, promotion, and consumption of alcohol in the ACT.

The ACT Government has also committed (under the National Drug Strategy 2017-2026) to increase the age of initiation of alcohol consumption. This is based on the evidence that the initiation of alcohol consumption at early ages is associated with increased long-term harm.

A same day delivery of alcohol means the delivery of packaged alcohol, under a commercial arrangement, to a person in the ACT on the same day it is purchased. Currently off licences can trade every day from 7am to 11pm.

The ACT Government follows a strategy to reduce harm caused by alcohol. The ACT is dedicated to the National Drug Strategy 2017-2026, which aims to decrease alcohol consumption starting at a young age to prevent long-term harm.

A same-day delivery provider is a business or person that offers a service to deliver alcohol to customers on the same day they place an order. Instead of creating a new type of license specifically for these providers, it is suggested that these providers need to show proof that they are selling the alcohol under a valid license. This means they either have their own license to sell alcohol or they have collected the alcohol from another licensed seller.

It is proposed that the reforms will apply to existing off licences or general licences who offer the following services in the ACT:

• online same-day sales and delivery of alcohol to customers
• delivery businesses and platforms that deliver same-day alcohol orders, whether or not their deliveries are accompanied by food
• people who offer same-day liquor delivery on crowd sourcing/task-matching platforms
• any other businesses that directly deliver or arrange delivery of alcohol to the public on the same day it is ordered.

It is proposed that the reforms will not apply to delivery of packaged alcohol of less than 1.5-litres sold in a purpose-made gift box or as part of a food hamper.

These packaged deliveries can be distinguished from same-day deliveries as they are not available for rapid delivery. These packages usually take more than 24 hours to be delivered.