Family violence prevention advocates have expressed concern about delays in changes to South Australia’s alcohol delivery legislation after they were recommended in a landmark royal commission.
Late last year, the SA government accepted 129 of the 136 recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence — several of which related to restrictions on home delivery of alcohol sales.
In a December 2025 press conference, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said his government would make amendments to the Liquor Licensing Act after the March state election.
“Subject to the people’s will at the next election, it is this government’s commitment that that legislation will be introduced immediately upon the parliament sitting post-election,” he said at the time.
Since Labor’s comfortable re-election in March, South Australia’s 56th parliament has sat on more than 10 occasions, but advocates said the reforms were yet to be introduced.
Ayla Chorley says the premier made a “very clear commitment”. (ABC News: Steve Opie)
“Leading up to the election [the premier] made a very clear commitment to the South Australian community, and women and children of South Australia,” Ayla Chorley from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education said.
“We have not seen that followed through.“
In a statement, the government said it has been working on a bill to be consulted on before bringing it to parliament.
Action sparked by deaths
The royal commission was called in late 2023 after the deaths of six South Australians from alleged family and domestic violence.
The royal commission handed down 136 recommendations last August. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
It recommended an amendment to the Liquor Licensing Act, proposed before the royal commission, be progressed and then monitored in practice to ensure more was done if needed.
The changes would:
- Introduce a two-hour buffer between ordering and delivery of alcohol;
- Reduce the hours in which alcohol can be delivered;
- Make harm reduction the paramount object of the act.
The amendment was drafted in December 2024 after a national rapid review into preventing violence against women in May of that year — with all states and territories agreeing to review their alcohol laws.
Jess Hill, a journalist and advocate who was involved in that rapid review, said it was crucial victim-survivors were kept at the forefront.
“Envision a house where a violent perpetrator has just made a delivery request for a big bottle of spirits, they’re already smashed, they’re already being violent, and they’re going to drink more as soon as that’s delivered,” she said.
“The people in that house are terrified, a child is in their bedroom hearing that delivery van turn up and wondering what is going to happen next.
“It is absolutely the responsibility of government to do everything they can to do everything to protect the people in that house, who are terrified when that delivery van shows up.”
Jess Hill worked on a national review into the prevention of violence against women. (Supplied: Thorsten Joses)
‘Left to wonder’
Ms Chorley said she was concerned the delay could mean the legislation is not introduced to parliament in its current form.
“We’re deeply concerned about the fact that the bill hasn’t moved forward at all … and that we’re not hearing anything from the government about when this might be put forward,” she said.
“We’re not really sure what’s happened from December when the premier committed to tabling this bill … and what’s happened to now.
“We’re really left to wonder what’s happened, because we had a really strong commitment from the premier.”
Advocates say the proposed changes will reduce the hours in which alcohol could be delivered. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
The ABC put the concerns from advocates to the premier and was provided a statement by a government spokesperson, which said the Malinauskas government remained “committed to delivering liquor reforms in response to the Royal Commission to better support victim-survivors.”
“The new Minister [for Consumer and Business Affairs Michael Brown] is considering all of the feedback received and is considering a range of DV harm measures for a bill to be consulted on before being introduced to parliament,” the spokesperson said.
