Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2629 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

I accept that the trial is going ahead. I trust that it will be comprehensively and objectively evaluated, and I will be very interested to see the results of that evaluation. I notice, in the very quick reading I have had of this literature search, that some of the extracts, or perhaps precis, of the literature the Minister has presented support some of the points I have just made. There are clearly two sides to this issue, and I think it is foolhardy for anybody to pretend that it is black and white and that one thing will work and another thing will not.

We have taken a very significant step this morning in forcing a lot of the onus for the responsible serving of alcohol back onto the industry, and in my view that is where a lot more pressure could be brought to bear. I am well aware, and I am sure everybody in this Assembly is, of some liquor outlets in the ACT which consistently cause trouble. It is a very small number, but they consistently cause untoward incidents, either inside or outside those premises. I believe that it is the licensee who should be made responsible and accountable for his or her actions as a licensee and brought to book for them. I think we have taken a significant step in that direction this morning.

Mr Speaker, I am also aware that there is still at least one outlet in the ACT which, in my opinion, is continuing to advertise irresponsibly for younger drinkers to drink in a manner that I do not regard as within the bounds of accepted practice. I have discussed that matter briefly with the registrar. I know that he is interested in that outlet and will keep a very close eye on it. It is an establishment that puts out a newsletter the obvious purpose of which is to attract young drinkers to behave in a manner they would not normally behave in unless they were under the influence of alcohol, and I think that is quite reprehensible.

There is one other issue I want to mention. When licensed premises are serving alcohol, I believe that it ought to be incumbent upon them to serve non-alcoholic beverages at all times. I am aware that many of our liquor outlets do not give their patrons access to free supplies of drinking water, and I believe that that ought to be the case. I know that many people, if they are drinking in a smoke-filled atmosphere and eating chips and peanuts and other salty snacks, are thirsty. The licensee relies upon that to sell them more alcoholic beverages. In fact, what may satisfy their thirst is a non-alcoholic beverage like a glass of water or a cup of coffee. If those kinds of beverages were freely available, as they are in many of our licensed places, without charge, we might see less of an incidence of overindulgence.

I might be being a bit naive, but I think we should at least give people the option of drinking water in particular. I know that this is a bit of an issue with licensed premises. They do not want to incur the cost, small though it is, or the staff time that is involved in allowing people free access to water. I think that is regrettable, and it is something that perhaps we might want to take up in the fullness of time. It is a major difference between, say, the pubs and clubs. The clubs, in my view, are much more patron friendly by virtue of the fact that they have tea, coffee, water and things like that available freely, and usually without charge.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .