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Welcome to the 21th issue for 2005 of GrogWatch – a weekly update of alcohol-related news and views provided by the Community Alcohol Action Network (CAAN). CAAN is an initiative of the Australian Drug Foundation. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you have signed up as a member of CAAN or you are a GrogWatch subscriber.
Alcohol advertising back in the spotlightLast week we reported the controversy over the sponsorship of a Drug Action Week by Diageo. The event was a forum at which Ms Anne Fox spoke on her work to reduce alcohol problems in the British Army. According to Gropgwatcher participants, Ms Fox ascribed the problem to the "culture" within the Army and British society. However, when quizzed about the contribution of advertising to the drinking culture, she claimed advertising was innocent. This is the familiar industry line which denies the scientific research that proves advertising is effective. Ms Fox carefully stated that her sponsor Diageo "always advertises responsibly". That will come as news to the NSW Minister, Grant McBride, who last year banned a Diageo promotion that provided underage people with vouchers for free vodka drinks. Neither does it sit well with the latest industry notion reported today (SMH, West Australian, see A roundup of alcohol news below). This is the "retailer alert" scheme where retailers would be encouraged to remove products from their shelves if the product's advertising offends the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code. In theory that sounds OK, but ABAC has a history of being utterly ineffective, and on this issue the alcohol industry lacks credibility. Until the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy reviewed alcohol advertising, the industry maintained it was world's best practice. Yet MCDS found ABAC investigated only 5% of all complaints. The industry supporters of the idea don't give cause for confidence either. Foster's spokeswoman Natalie Toohey explained: "You have to care to be shamed into change but they are only going to care if you take their products away." (SMH, 25/6/05) Why does the alcohol industry need to be "shamed" into responsibility? Aren't they "caring corporate citizens"? She blamed the advertising problem on "rogue advertisers". Wrong again. Who produced Carlton Cold Shot which was hammered by Bob Carr at the Alcohol Summit? Does Foster's regard Diageo as a "rogue advertiser"? Ms Toohey gave the game away. The industry needs external regulation because, on their own, they just don't get it.
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 ADF in the news Alcohol Abuse
The Community Alcohol Action Network has released a new resource booklet designed to lower harm caused by misuse of alcohol and initiate action against alcohol abuse. |
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a roundup of alcohol newsHard line wanted on sexy drink ads
Alcohol producers who use sexy images to sell their drinks could find their products pulled off the shelf and banned from pubs under a tough new scheme to make alcohol companies more responsible. Advertisements that show people partying with alcohol or relaxing in the backyard with a tinnie or three will also come under closer scrutiny under the retailer alert proposal being considered by Australia's main alcoholic beverage bodies as a way to crack down on companies that market their products to under-age drinkers or encourage irresponsible drinking.
Drinks with bad ads face pub ban
Alcoholic drinks that breach advertising codes will be taken off the shelves and banned from pubs, and offending companies named and shamed under tough new measures to be introduced early next year. The new code could also demand that companies marketing to underage drinkers or encouraging irresponsible drinking in their ads could pay compensation to retailers for loss of business and damage to their reputation.
Hear on .05 idiots
Frustrated magistrates have called on the State Government to toughen farcical penalties for repeat drink-drivers. Police and community groups yesterday added to a barrage of criticism of the maximum sentence of three months' jail, saying it was hopelessly inadequate as either a punishment or a deterrent.
Grant for youth drink fight
Almost $500,000 has been allocated to help combat excessive drinking among rural youth in Tasmania . A grant of $489,442 has been awarded to the University of Tasmania by the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation to tackle the impact of peer group pressure and alcohol use among young people.
Alert over teenage drinking
CHANGING society's attitude towards alcohol is vital in the push to reduce Australia's growing levels of teenage drinking, experts said yesterday after research revealed that almost one in four teenagers consumed alcohol weekly. Dr Neal Blewett, president of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia, told the Under-age Drinking Forum in Canberra that alcohol was considered a normal part of life and was often unavoidable at social functions. Drink till you drop: the teen epidemicAccording to research reported at the Underage Drinking Forum in Canberra yesterday young people are drinking alcohol earlier than ever, and when they drink, they are bingeing at extremely dangerous levels. Sydney Morning Herald, p1, 23/06/2005 Labour wades to the right
Labor was returned to power over the weekend in the Northern Territory with the centre piece of their policy involving habitual drunks being/forced into treatment or face jail if they are placed in police custody for grog related (their words) reasons six times in three months.
Alcohol abuse
The Community Alcohol Action Network has released a new resource booklet designed to lower harm caused by misuse of alcohol and initiate action against alcohol abuse.
Cut-price drinks a sad reflection
The fact that one licensee can push the Geelong liquor industry and the Geelong community into turmoil is a sad reflection on the way our community, including council, police, licensing authorities and the licensees themselves, is accepting a situation that should hot happen. Letter by former police Super-Intendant, Mike Wallis.
Drunk crash dad 'should lose kids'
The Australian Family Assoication believes a father who crashed a luxury car carrying this three young children should be stripped of access rights. The businessman, 47 blew .311 six tiems the legal limit. Curfew call on drunken teenagers
Authorities have called for a youth curfew on the Gold Coast as hundreds of drunken teenagers, bored with gate crashing suburban parties, turn to terrorising people along the beachfront.
Parent blamed as drink suppliers
The results of an 18-month study by the Drug Network of Tasmania indicate that parents were the biggest supplier of alcohol for children as young as 12, twice as many girls aged 12 - 15 were binge drinking as boys of the same age and dangerous drinking could be linked to a jump in assaults between young women reported to police this month.
Young not responsible for alcohol abuse, says expert
Blaming young people for irresponsible alcohol consumption is a "copout", says Australian National Council on Drugs director David Crosbie. Mr Crosbie, one of the speakers at a forum on under-age drinking to be held in Canberra on Wednesday, said that Australians needed to tackle a deeply ingrained culture of drinking before pointing the finger at younger people.
No one wines with alcohol: Barnett
Senator Guy Barnett wants sporting heroes to stop celebrating their wins with alcohol. He also wants drinks to carry warning labels, similar to cigarette packets, on the dangers of alcohol.
Drinking mothers may be creating criminals: expert
Tasmanian criminals could be victims of exposure to alcohol before birth, Tasmanian Drug Network spokeswoman Vicki Russell believes. Ms Russell said unborn babies exposed to alcohol were at risk of developing behavioural disorders including learning problems, attention deficit disorder, impulsive behaviour, poor judgement and poor social skills. These problems could lead to unemployment, homelessness or in some cases criminal activity later in life.
Teens buckle under peer pressure to drink, smoke
According to results from The Advertiser, Youth Affairs Council of SA and the Minister's Youth Council survey binge drinking and smoking are rife among South Australian youth, with children as young as 12 admitting they drink, smoke and take illicit drugs.
$1.50 club grog war
Geelong Nightlife Association and room99 nightclub have split after a dispute over aggressive discounting of alcoholic drinks. Room99 has consistently undercut minimum prices stipulated in a Geelong Liquor Accord selling spirits for only $1.50 — less than half the Accord's agreed price.
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 Subcribers comments regarding binge drinking article in issue 19 dated 14 June 2005 Friends at CAAN. Great to see the article on supply of alcohol to kids in the home. No secret that I endorse the call for uniform alcohol laws. As you probably know I have been pushing this for some time. I have been told by a senior Victorian politician that she does not want to interfere with what goes on in the private home. Is this why in Victoria and other states, except NSW, it is perfectly legal for any person to supply alcohol to any child in any residence. There are no limits. Any age, any amount of booze, any house, any child. You don't even have to get permission from the kids parents. It is all ok according to the Liquor Control Reform Act, Section 119, 5, (e), just so long as the supply takes place on private residential property. Why is it that only in NSW is there a law against supplying alcohol to someone else's child in the private home? Are NSW children more valuable than Victorians? Or is it because the NSW government has taken it's blinkers off and chosen to do something about it? A proposal to adopt uniform laws was recommended at a recent meeting of federal and state health ministers. When Victoria announced it's subsequent revision of the Liquor Control Reform Act, this proposal was not included. I have raised it with the current Victorian parliamentary drug and crime prevention committee. I won't hold my breath waitinig for the report that was due in September last year. Please keep up the pressure and help get this ludicrous and dangerous law changed.
BC |
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