Page 3279 - Week 11 - Thursday, 12 September 1991
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The ministerial council considered that the voluntary co-regulatory system which governs advertising is not working properly insofar as it relates to advertising of alcoholic beverages. That is Mr Connolly's own council. The ministerial council considered whether the Media Council of Australia should act to ameliorate the problem. One thing that was clear from the council meeting in Adelaide was that there is a lack of community awareness of the existence of the voluntary code.
For example, recently the Alcohol Standards Council ruled that an advertisement for an alcoholic beverage appearing in Tracks magazine breached provisions of the code simply because it is a magazine directed significantly towards young persons. In other words, we are not facing our community responsibilities by putting alcohol advertising in youth oriented publications. However, this issue requires a national initiative to be effective, and members may note that it will not be included in the motion which I foreshadow.
I have made these comments about advertising to demonstrate the hypocrisy of our generation. We decry under-age drinking; we bemoan the social cost to the community; we apply desperately needed resources to detoxification clinics and the rest. But we permit the glamorous advertising, particularly that connected with sport and sports heroes. The pursuit of heroes is part of youth psyche. It is even part of our own. We get a dangerous concoction when we mix a cocktail of hero and tinnie before the eyes of our children.
The stark reality is that, whilst in my day, prior to television and the glamour alcohol advertising, we had our heroes, we also had our interest in alcohol. What has happened since is a vastly accelerated consumption of alcohol by young persons, and the statistics, which I will not detain this Assembly with, speak eloquently. Mr Connolly can come to my room at any stage and look at the statistics. Really, I was saddened to hear his speech.
What steps can be taken in this Territory? First, our liquor licensing laws were recently amended by the Alliance Government. But let us not kid ourselves; they cannot do everything to tackle under-age drinking, which continues to be a major problem in the Territory. Recent amendments gave some attention to the character of persons involved in the sale of alcohol. We added compliance requirements for the issuing of licences and so on. But there are still problems in that issue. The current Attorney-General dismissed our recent call for an inquiry as a political stunt. He said that the legislation was adequate. He does not understand the problem. It is beyond the lawmakers. This is a problem for the community. It is a matter that we must tack onto our conscience.
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