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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2580 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

I read some statistics in the scoping study provided to me by Mr Humphries on the regulation of trading hours. We all know that alcohol is a problem in the community, but it was very interesting to me to see the statistics on alcohol-related harms. In one of those studies alcohol was involved in 5 per cent of all deaths, 30 per cent of road deaths, 23 per cent of suicides, 51 to 73 per cent of assaults, 40 per cent of domestic violence cases, 77 per cent of street offences, 58 per cent of malicious damage cases, 59 per cent of noise complaints and 20 per cent of all medical work. So, as a community, we obviously have to take responsibility for alcohol abuse. While legislation is only one quite narrow aspect of addressing that problem, it is one that the Government and members of this place need to look at very carefully.

I support Ms Follett's concerns about the consultation with the Australian Hotels Association. I believe that the legislation was difficult to read because the explanatory memorandum did not match the Bill. This is something that needs to be looked at and hopefully avoided in the future. Generally, in conclusion, I will just say that I believe that we have a lot more work to do in looking at the issue of alcohol abuse in our society, and I hope that we will be able to reach a better situation.

MR OSBORNE (11.24): I have to say, firstly, that I was very pleased to hear Mr Moore tell us that he has cleaned urinals. It probably explains to me the smell that often permeates. Mr Speaker, it will be no great surprise to members that I will be supporting this Bill today. I agree with what Ms Tucker said. Alcohol is one of the most destructive elements in our society today, if not the most destructive. There is no need to exaggerate the damage that it does every day in our families and to young people in particular. The truth is unbelievable. I am pleased to see, though, that the Government is firmly committed to promoting its responsible use.

Mr Speaker, I think it is a fairly simple process to become a licensee. You apply for a licence, you agree to the conditions of that licence, you pay a fee, and away you go. The problem that we have here in Canberra, which I am sure is not ours alone, is that a small proportion of licensees - I stress that it is only a small proportion - have little regard for the obligation they have to obey the law. These rogue licensees have intentionally flouted the law for far too long and it is about time they were brought to heel. This Bill intends to achieve that purpose through giving the Liquor Licensing Board greater flexibility to deal with them appropriately. I just hope that some of the provisions here do not result in the board going soft on those licensees who regularly either will not comply or cannot be bothered complying with the terms of their licence. In my opinion, if a licensee cannot keep control over his establishment and keep it within the bounds of the law he ought not have a licence to sell alcohol any longer.

I am also pleased that the Minister has made a change to the terms of an offence regarding the serving of an intoxicated person. I know it has been a great source of frustration to the police in the past, in that this area of the law was virtually unworkable. As a result, successful prosecutions have been very few and far between. I certainly hope that this amendment makes a big difference to what has been a serious and growing problem.

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