NT alcohol law curtails booze-related harm

Since October 2018 all alcohol sold in the Territory must cost at least $1.30 per standard drink.

The first evaluation into the Minimum Unit Price (MUP) of alcohol deemed the government's laws a success after it showed liquor-related assaults had dropped by 23 per cent across the territory in 2018-19 compared to the same time in 2017-18.

Emergency department attendances also declined by 17.3 per cent within that same annual period.

The number of child protection notifications, protection orders, and out-of-home care cases decreased too.

The Territorian government introduced the floor price legislation to cut alcohol-related crime, anti-social behaviour and harm.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said while the results from the first 12 months were pleasing, there was more work to be done.

"Our strong measures across minimum unit price, bringing back the banned drinkers register and PALIs are responsible for these positive results," she said.

"The job doesn't stop here."

Deakin University's Professor Peter Miller, who led the research, said although the outcomes were promising and provided a baseline, longer-term evaluations were needed.

"Changes in social trends require more time to be certain," he said.

"The methods used in this report have allowed for an assessment of changes across a range of outcomes.

"And the staggered implementation of different policy elements in different locations allows for some teasing out of differential impacts."

The report, released on Wednesday, stated a wide range of community benefits coincided with the MUP's introduction.

"However, some changes ... coincided with other interventions that were implemented at a similar time meaning the independent impact of MUP was impossible to distinguish," the report said.

Australian Associated Press