BackgroundAlcohol-related harm is a substantial burden on the community in Australia and internationally, particularly harm related to risky drinking practices of young people in the night-time economy. This protocol paper describes a study that will report on the changes in a wide range of health and justice outcome measures associated with major policy changes in the state of Queensland, Australia. A key element includes trading hours restrictions for licensed premises to 2 am for the state and 3 am in Safe Night Precincts (SNPs). Other measures introduced include drinks restrictions after midnight, increased patron banning measures for repeat offenders, mandatory ID scanning of patrons in late-night venues, and education campaigns.MethodsThe primary aim of the study is to evaluate change in the levels of harm due to these policy changes using administrative data (e.g., police, hospital, ambulance, and court data). Other study elements will investigate the impact of the Policy by measuring foot traffic volume in SNPs, using ID scanner data to quantify the volume of people entering venues and measure the effectiveness of banning notices, using patron interviews to quantify the levels of pre-drinking, intoxication and illicit drug use within night-time economy districts, and to explore the impacts of the Policy on business and live music, and costs to the community.DiscussionThe information gathered through this project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Policy and to draw on these findings to inform future prevention and enforcement approaches by policy makers, police, and venue staff.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-017-4811-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Australian Government has delayed the introduction of mandatory alcohol health warning labels in Australia by 2 years, until at least December 2013. The campaigning of some parts of the alcohol industry appears to have been instrumental in this decision.

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Purpose of this paper:To present developments in designing out crime policy in Western Australia (WA) as a case study example, discussing the innovative Designing Out Crime Strategy, a systematic attempt at embedding such ideas within government policy.Design / methodologies / approach: Report on the systems approach adopted by the WA government, which draws together three key themes of designing out crime, namely; the design of the built environment, the ongoing management of the built environment and the use of product design to reduce opportunities for crime. The systems perspective is underpinned by an evidencebased approach across these three areas.Findings: Many existing international approaches to designing out crime are arguably limited, piecemeal and largely uncoordinated. This Strategy represents a comprehensive and holistic policy commitment to designing out crime.Research limitations / implications: The effectiveness of this Strategy is as yet unknown, but it arguably represents a comprehensive approach to embedding designing out crime within public policy frameworks. The future will ultimately judge the success or failure of this policy and key performance indicators are presented as part of the Strategy. Practical implications:It will be challenging to monitor the progress of this vision and whether adequate resources are made available to appropriate agencies to deliver the desired outcomes from the various actions identified within the Strategy.What is original / value of paper: No national or state jurisdiction has attempted to develop designing out crime policy in such a comprehensive manner and WA's Designing Out Crime Strategy arguably represents a truly proactive policy framework and a comprehensive vision and plan for action to reduce opportunities for crime in the design, planning, development and maintenance of the built form and in the design of products.