Going, going, goon! Aussies are booting the booze

Aussies are well known for being partial to a schooner or a tinny.

But it appears that isn’t the case anymore.

According to recent ABS data, alcohol consumption in Australia has dropped to its lowest level per capita in 50 years.

And it’s been dropping steadily for some time.

In 2016/17, total alcohol consumed in Australia was equivalent to 186 million litres of pure alcohol.

That may seem like a lot, but levels haven’t been that low since 1961/62.

“We’re not the beer-swilling Aussies we once were,” Ross Greenwood says.

Director of Health at the ABS Louise Gates joins Ross Greenwood to break down the data and explain why Aussies are turning away from the ice-cold schooner.

“What we do know is that there are more people who don’t drink, or rarely drink, and that’s partly due to the fact that we’re having more of the population made up of overseas-born,” she says.

She says it isn’t just alcohol consumption that’s dropping, but our alcohol preferences are changing too.

“So 50 years ago, 75 per cent of the alcohol we drank was beer, whereas now it’s down to 39 per cent and wine has been increasing its share.”

Click PLAY below for the full interview