Access to alcohol outlets in small geographic areas (SA2) of selected Australian states
The Spatial Accessibility Index measures the access people have to a service - in this case alcohol outlets. It indicates the relative access to alcohol outlets in one small geographic area (SA2) when compared with other areas using a combination of distance to the closest 5 alcohol outlets and the population of the area. The resulting Spatial Accessibility Index for each small geographic area (SA2) can be arranged from lowest to highest, where lower numbers mean lower access and higher numbers mean higher access (for full details of the calculation see the Technical notes). The data in these maps are presented for both Capital city areas and Non-capital city areas.
How to use these maps
MAP 3: Access to alcohol outlets in each small geographic area (SA2), selected Australian states, 2018 will open in a new tab.
Use the zoom and search functions to explore the map. Select a group or area of interest from the lists to show that group or area. Click on an area in the map to view additional information. The colour shading indicates different access to alcohol outlets by area, with darker shades indicating a higher access and lighter shades, lower access.
For the best experience, use Chrome, Edge or Firefox browsers. For more information on browser compatibility, see Supported browsers.
Access to alcohol outlets in selected Australian states, 2018
- The 20% of small geographic areas (SA2) in selected Australian states with the highest access include both Capital city areas and Non-capital city areas. Of these:
- 3 out of 4 are Capital city areas – this includes the Capital city central business district areas of all states.
- The majority (98.3%) of these areas have populations over 1,000 people.
- The 20% of small geographic areas (SA2) in selected Australian states with the lowest access include both Capital city areas and Non-capital city areas. Of these:
- More than half (58%) are Non-capital city areas.
- Around 10% of these areas have populations under 1,000 people.
- Some of these Non-capital city areas in the top 20% of areas ranked by access are known tourist areas. Such as the Great Ocean Road in Vic (Warrnambool – South and Moyne – West) the Gold Coast in Qld (Main Beach, Surfers Paradise and Mermaid Beach – Broadbeach) and Coffs Harbour in NSW (Coffs Harbour – South). These areas have high numbers of outlets but also have many alcohol outlets close to where people live.
- There are also some regional Non-capital city areas which contain mining towns which feature in the top 20% of areas ranked by access. For example, Port Augusta in SA, Ashburton in WA and through the Qld mining belt (Northern Highlands, Barcaldine – Blackall and Charleville) (See Data tables Table S5).
Access to alcohol outlets in Capital city areas selected Australian states, 2018
- Of the 20% of Capital city areas (SA2) with the highest access:
- The majority (97.8%) of these areas have populations over 1,000 people.
- 4 are specified ports or industrial areas, and there may be other partially industrial areas.
- Of the 20% of Capital city small geographic areas (SA2) with the lowest access:
- 1 in 10 (11%) had populations less than 1,000 people.
- 2 in 3 (67%) had 5 alcohol outlets or less (See Data tables Table S5).
Access to alcohol outlets in Non-capital city areas selected Australian states, 2018
- Of the 20% of Non-capital city small geographic areas (SA2) with the highest access:
- The majority (98%) of these areas have populations over 1,000 people.
- The majority (about 93%) have 6 or more alcohol outlets.
- Of the 20% of Non-capital city small geographic areas (SA2) with the lowest access
- 9% have populations under 1,000 people.
- 2 in 5 (39%) have 5 alcohol outlets or less (See Data tables Table S5).