Binge drinking, mate?
In the light of recent media concern with youth drinking, ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey has reissued the Greens call for a ban on alcohol advertising.
“Alcohol does enormous harm to our community, and a culture that links being drunk with having fun is a particular problem” Dr Foskey said today.
“Life has moved on since tobacco advertising was banned. The public health benefits have been substantial. The ACT Government’s latest Bill, introduced today, will protect non smokers even more. Meanwhile, people who want to, or have to, smoke, still do.”
“I think we could take a similar approach with alcohol promotion and move in stages by ruling out TV ads and event sponsorship first, allowing the industry to reorganise itself accordingly.”
“That way we’d be first knocking off the broad brush promotions - which are, arguably, where the most damage is done.”
“Clearly some of these initiatives need to happen at a national rather than a local level. But we do have control over events and promotions in the ACT.”
“We also have control over labelling.”
“So in addition to eliminating advertising, I’d like to see more emphatic health warnings on alcohol products too.”
“Such information is one of the tools available to public health programs, and if we can’t get a national approach to that, we should introduce it here in the ACT” Dr Foskey said.
