Sweeping changes recommended to the sale of liquor laws by the Law Commission will boost prices, restrict trading hours and restore the drinking age to 20.Among the 153 recommendations are proposals to:• restore the legal drinking and purchasing age
Sweeping changes recommended to the sale of liquor laws by the Law Commission will boost prices, restrict trading hours and restore the drinking age to 20.
Among the 153 recommendations are proposals to:
• restore the legal drinking and purchasing age to 20;
• increase prices by an average of 10% through a 50% rise in excise;
• restrict trading hours to between 9am and 4am for licensed premises and 9am-10pm for off licences; and
• further restrict and regulate advertising and sponsorship.
Other recommendations include the introduction of a new Alcohol Harm Reduction Act; strengthening the rights and responsibilities of parents for the supply of alcohol to minors; and “civil cost recovery regime” – a $200 fine – for those picked up by the police when grossly intoxicated.
The commission’s long-awaited and hefty (550 pages plus) report, Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm, was two years in the making and received nearly 3000 submissions. In addition, the commission held 50 public meetings in the consultation process, which also included two earlier reports.
Reduce harm
Law Commission president Sir Geoffrey Palmer says the main aim of the report is to reduce the harms associated with heavy drinking and drinking to intoxication (“binge drinking”).
“To do this we need to ensure that alcohol is promoted, sold and supplied in a manner which better reflects the risks and responsibilities associated with its consumption,” he says.
The size of the final report and number of recommendations reflects the “broad ranging terms of reference” covering not only the licensing system but also alcohol pricing and promotions, parental responsibilities, and how to ameliorate the adverse effects of alcohol on health and crime.
Intense competition
Sir Geoffrey, who originally introduced the 1989 reforms to usher in the “café culture,” admits now it has not worked – while there have been many benefits associated with the liberalisation, he says, the resounding message the commission had received from the public is that the pendulum has swung too far.
For this he blames intense competition and the over-commercialisation of alcohol.
“A can of beer or an RTD can be bought for one or two dollars in many retail outlets. This is less than we pay for bottled water.
“One of the consequences of alcohol being promoted and sold at pocket-money prices is that we risk losing sight of its status as a legal drug, capable of causing serious harm to others.”
Sir Geoffrey says there is growing research evidence of a causal link between alcohol intoxication and aggression. The Police are in no doubt that one of the key drivers behind the escalating levels of violent crime is the abuse of alcohol.
“Drinking to intoxication and drinking large quantities remain dominant features of our drinking culture and this behaviour is not confined to an aberrant minority.” Sir Geoffrey says.
He says most effective policies internationally to reduce alcohol-related harm are those that target the availability, price and promotion of alcohol. Making alcohol more expensive will help achieve this because research shows low cost alcohol is favoured by young and heavy drinkers.
Public support
Sir Geoffrey believes there is strong public support for lifting the drinking age; the overwhelming number of submissions advocated a return to 20 as the minimum purchase age.
The commission is recommending moves by several Australian states to introduce new legal provisions restricting who can supply alcohol to minors and under what conditions.
Sir Geoffrey has also emphasised the need for Parliament to treat the commission’s recommendations as an integrated package rather than cherry picking the more politically palatable elements:
“There is little point in raising the minimum purchase age but doing nothing to stop selling alcohol to young people as the key to social and sexual success. Similarly, there is little to be gained from tighter controls on pubs and bars if retailers continue to be allowed to promote heavily discounted alcohol for home consumption.”
A full copy of the report, Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm, is here.
