Page 4566 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 20 November 1991
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for that are some of the very fine sporting personalities we have around this town. I know that the Canberra Cannons go out to schools with the quit smoking campaign. That is effective because kids know who Herb McEachin is. That means a lot more to them than some dry public servant coming along and giving them a lecture on the dangers of smoking or alcohol abuse. There might be some benefit in doing that, especially if it is done properly.
Binge drinking, excessive drinking, also can be campaigned against through that fund by sponsoring kids' sporting events and sporting events where a lot of children are actively involved. We have many sporting events in Canberra where many thousands of kids are involved in a particular sport. If the Health Promotion Fund was used to push a healthy message and anti-binge drinking, anti-underage drinking through that area - that is, kids' sport - it might have some effect in the long term.
But, as usual, this Labor Government is not prepared to match its rhetoric. Its rhetoric here is correct in that no single program can effectively impact on the problem. What is proposed by Mr Berry will take a long time and will still have only minimal effect. I point out to him the experience of the anti-smoking campaigns run in recent years with children.
This Government also has to bite the bullet in a number of other areas. Canberra has the most liberal licensing laws in Australia. We are, I think, about the only place in Australia where you can drink anywhere in public. I have had discussions with my colleague Mr Connolly about when my private members' Bill on dry areas will come on. I am getting a little sick and tired of it not reaching the starting gate because of other matters. When that is finally debated by this Assembly, maybe Mr Connolly and his party might reconsider their idiotic stance of voting against it.
Mr Berry: Back to 1932, Bill.
MR STEFANIAK: It actually works. Maybe we did not have so many problems with binge drinking then, Mr Berry. You have all this great rhetoric. You are running around in circles doing virtually nothing except, perhaps, having an education program that might have some effect in 10 years. You are not prepared to say "No". You should simply say, "No, you are going to stop drinking in certain areas in Canberra". If you are prepared to look at some of the reports before this Assembly in relation to 24-hour licences and the problems with young people lying drunk in the bloody gutter at 6 o'clock in the morning, on Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings and Friday mornings, after 12-hour sessions in various establishments, we might get somewhere.
Mr Connolly: I raise a point of order. I believe that I heard Mr Stefaniak use the great Australian adjective, which is hardly appropriate in the chamber.
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