Page 1114 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 March 1991
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The other part of that recommendation deals with a review of the ACT mental health services policy towards service delivery. That is a slightly more difficult proposition. Certainly, quite significant changes have occurred in terms of our actual service delivery in the ACT over recent months. Notably, the establishment of a crisis service operating from the Woden Valley site of the hospital is a significant change in this area. We would all welcome the advances being made there. I, of course, acknowledge, as does the Government, that there is room for improvement and that we have some way to go before we have a comprehensive safety net in respect of mental health.
The other recommendation is in paragraph 8.2. It deals with alcohol advertising. The words there may have been somewhat prophetic, given that the Government has moved in a very similar way in respect of tobacco. The recommendation says:
The ACT Government should prohibit alcohol advertising in all areas of the ACT except at the generic point of sale.
Mr Stefaniak: A bit overboard.
MR HUMPHRIES: Someone made the comment, "A bit overboard". That may be a quite fair comment, in fact. We have to be very careful about becoming too jack-booted about our general approach towards advertising. I know that some people have accused me, even in today's paper, of having a less than tolerant approach towards the advertising of legal products such as cigarettes and alcohol.
I do not want to be doctrinaire or in breach of people's civil liberties, but I think that that particular recommendation in this report clearly acknowledges that there is a significant problem, and that alcohol advertising does not help. I personally am of the view that millions of dollars would not be spent on alcohol advertising if it was not believed that it would have some impact on the general consumption of alcohol in our community. Unfortunately, that may be taken in different ways by different people. There is a difference, of course, between alcohol and tobacco. There are no safe levels of use of tobacco, except for none. Of course, one can enjoy alcohol in moderate amounts and, indeed, even benefit from it, as I hear that the latest medical opinions are saying. That is one thing. It is quite another thing to suggest as a result of that attitude that there should be open slather on alcohol advertising.
This matter will be discussed in Adelaide next week when the conference of Australian Health Ministers convenes. I will be looking with great interest to see what developments arise from that conference. I would predict that, if that meeting develops a comprehensive consensus across this country on the need for further restrictions on alcohol advertising, then of course the ACT will be part of
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