Page 3263 - Week 11 - Thursday, 12 September 1991
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That is just teenagers and young people. What about the over-18s up to people of our own age? From extensive anecdotal evidence we learn about problems in bars, clubs, discos, sports arenas and other places of common social interaction in the ACT. We hear about the damaging side effects on people's individual lives, their families and their communities. All social agencies report it, right across the board.
I want here to argue that as a culture our nation Australia is in bad shape. Canberra, we learn, has the highest alcohol intake - possibly along with Darwin - of any city in Australia. There is an old-fashioned description of someone who is badly affected by excessive alcohol; we say that he is "the worse for wear". It is my conclusion, sadly, that our entire culture is the worse for wear.
So, what are we going to do about it? I raise this not in any point scoring way. I do not want to make any political points. I do not want this to be seen as a political area. I hope that all members of the Assembly, especially after the GALA report that we received yesterday, will come at this question anew. The question is urgently necessary as the result of some of the conclusions given in the final report, of July-December 1990, of the Australian Capital Territory Gaming and Liquor Authority.
Let us turn to the section on liquor licensing operations. In particular, let us worry about the section on under-age drinking, pages 23 and 24 of the report. I wish I could restate what was said there, but all members have this report - and I hope that members of the media do too.
In the 1989-90 annual report, the authority had already questioned the effectiveness of the cautioning system as a deterrent to under-age drinking. The authority clearly flags the need for further consultation about this matter. One of the conclusions that one can draw from this report, which we received yesterday, is that some kind of further examination is needed. The GALA report flags the need for a full report and recommendations.
GALA makes the following suggestions in that report: On-the-spot fines, stricter penalties for licensees and the suspension or deferment of young offenders' drivers licences. Another thought - a very dramatic one in the ACT and in Australia generally - is the raising of the legal age for drinking. In the United States, some States have 18, others 20 and others 21. Have we come to the point where we should consider that?
I would argue, though, that the largest problems of all are not with young people - although that is the area that we wish, above all, to address - but with the whole community. We are all the worse for wear. Today we are suggesting an independent inquiry. Why independent? We want to see such an inquiry beyond the direct influence of government, which
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