Senator Steve Fielding - Leader of Family First
A tax won’t fix our boozing, brawling culture
Posted by Senator Steve Fielding on April 27 2009 | 12 Comments
It’s 16 days until the alcopops tax vote and the clock is ticking for the Rudd government.
It’s time for Australians to tell the Rudd government that it will no longer accept a tax hike as an excuse for tackling Australia’s binge drinking culture. This tax has been in place for a year and nothing has changed! Violent brawls continue on our streets, young men and women get behind the wheels of cars after a drinking binge and risk their own lives and those of others and families and communities continue to pay financially - $15.6 billion a year - and emotionally for our culture that reckons drinking to get drunk is harmless. Consider this - a year after the alcopops tax was introduced by its Federal counterparts, the Brumby Labor government had to hold an emergency summit on alcohol and violence in Melbourne. If the alcopops tax was working on curbing binge drinking, why the need for the summit?? it’s clear this tax is doing very little to break the hold binge drinking has on our communities. It’s time to Slash the Alcohol Toll by doing more than introducing an ineffective tax. You have the power to hold this government to account. Write, phone, email the Health Minister Nicola Roxon and the Treasurer Wayne Swan and demand more from your government. Tell your government it must stand up to the television industry and have the guts to legislate against the influence alcohol has on sport by closing the loophole that allows ads during sporting events in family viewing time. A large section of the alcohol industry has agreed to do it but it must be made into law. The clock is ticking and your chance to push this government to act on Australia’s binge drinking culture may not come around again.
the tax on alcohol alone is definitely far short of what needs to be done & beyond delusional.
People involved in drinking need to be taught restraint & socially acceptable behaviour in regards to any form of alchol consumption. All sensible judgement goes out the door with a loss of restraint in regards to acceptable social behaviour. Dangerous Psychosis kicks in.
How would I know, I was assaulted Easter 2007 outside a party dropping off some teenagers after my son & daughter had been harassed & assaulted earlier in theevening by more drunken teenagers. My nose was severely broken, a bottle was smashed against the right side of my head resulting in a lacerated ear & I was stabbed in the lower right flank with a broken bottle which fully pierced into my abdomen. Fortunately no internal injuries apart from a gaping hole for 6 days until it was sown closed. 2 week off from work. This was as a result of 15-20 drunken/drugged teenagers at a party - another 25 or so watched & cheered them on. 2 years later 2 have been charged & convicted. But with sentences no more than parole after serving some small time in jail.
We do not under any circumstances just need a tax. To think so is reprehensible & highly irresponsible. We need education, we need laws & we need infrastructure to deal with those caught up in this.
All the tax on AlcoPops has achieved is to push these consumers onto less taxed stronger drinks which they are then mixing themselves but much more potently leading to a worse problem ?
Where to from here one wonders ?
For me it is staying completely away from events with alcohol. It is disassociating myself from people who condone alcohol or any other substance abuse. It is seriously questioning anyone, anyone who in anyway tries to write off or underplay any of the behaviour of people under the influence of alcohol or substance of any type.
Maurice Rich
Beenleigh Qld
Comment by admrich on 22 June 2009 at 09:32:16 AM
Steve make sure you opposse this alcopop tax,
Note: this is not directed at Steve Feilding, it was written in general to the a senate enquiry, and is my opinion, but also has an element of TRUTH!!
I praise Steve for his opposition to this tax.
Besides I thought this poxy alcopop tax was only supposed to be 30c to $1.30 per can/bottle depending on the strength?
Yet Nicola Roxon says and I quote: “Alcopops are like cocktails on training wheels” and when the tax was voted down the first time, she also said and I quote: “Soon alcopops will go from $5.00 each to $2.00 each”
Well that is a contradiction because even with this new alcopop tax, they (alcopops) were only supposed to increase by 30c to $1.30 per unit, so how the hell could they go from $2.00 to $5.00??? that’s more than 30c-$1.30?????? so they should of not ever been $5.00 to drop back to $2.00 in the event of the tax failing and therefore have Nicola Roxon then whinge and wine about it and then make the said statement above? so please explain that? ... whinge and wine?? ahh wine?? maybe she should whinge and alcopop about it rather than wine?? ha ha ha…..funny hey….......
My favourite drinks were $11 for a 4-pack of Pulse now their $23!! that’s an increase of $3.00 per can!! what ever happen to only 30c-$1.30?, or a carton of 24 cans went from $52 to $109! why should we have to pay that much for one carton of drinks?, its ok for pollies when you want a drink or two; it is either all tax free booze or paid by tax payers “US”, well now I suppose people or these so-called under age kids, (The ones who miraculously can buy alcohol at bottle shops) just buy a full strength bottle, has 40 standard drinks in it, get ABSOLUTly wasted off it, at least at the end of the night they have a nice big bottle they can urinate in and then smash across the road, or throw it at a passing car or smash it over another persons head!!!!
I proves its revenue, the government and Nicola Roxon have forgotten the bull crap they have said, and lied about to Australia about this tax,
get it together people! and stop stuffing the country about, just remember who got you all to where you are today!!
and since my last emails, I suppose its typical, I have not got a single response from a single one of all these ministers and senators alike regarding this issue I have emailed, what is the point of having contact details if no one ever gets a reply , I have been ignored, If I was supporting the tax, I suppose I would get an acknowledgment for sure..
this tax is a disgrace!
Aaron Fitzgerald :(
P.S Thank you Steve Fielding..
Comment by Aaron Fitzgerald on 08 June 2009 at 01:41:54 PM
Boozing?
Brawling?
Where is this why am i missing out on all the fun,
my friday nights end invariably with me lying in bed alone with a bottle of imperial blue vodka and a collection of nikolai dante’s exploits.
Much to my wifes concern.
Comment by Laur Farren on 21 May 2009 at 02:23:30 PM
@ Charlie Grub’s comment-
It really concerns me that as the health professional you claim yourself as, your willing to ignore the fact that liqour sales in every category have shot up aside from alcopops and hospitalisations from alcohol related incidents have also risen.
Don’t health professionals care that people are getting way more done in with a bottle of vodka then a 4 pack of cruisers for nearly the same price now?
I believe your views are highly contradictory of what your hoping to achieve.
The kids aren’t going to say “Ohh no, my cruisers went up $5, I’m going to stop drinking now” they just move on and on to much stronger products. It’s straightforward logic, this tax will never achieve it’s goal.
It is also very hard to believe violence, criminal activity and sexual assualt are going to decline when your making it attractive for people to drink straight spirits or cask wine?
Comment by MBirch on 12 May 2009 at 10:40:49 PM
I urge Senator Fielding to alter his view on the alcohol tax. As a health professional with over 30 years experience in young people’s health, in face to face work, as well as service management and policy development, increases in taxes are among the most effective ways of reducing alcohol consumption, especially binge drinking. The government’s proposal is a bold step forward in area we all struggle with. It is very complex and there is no single solution.
The increases in taxes should be part of a package and support to the legislation could be negotiated with add-ons, such as alcohol advertising, and programs targeting businesses, sporting clubs and community organisations. Education is only successful when accompanied by comprehensive reforms, including increased taxes.
Successful legislation will have significant impacts, such as improving education attainment, positive community involvement, improved family relationships, reduced criminal activity, reduced violence, reduced sexual assault, reduced homelessness, reduced injury related deaths, reduced injuries, reduced hospital admissions.
Senator Fielding, I urge you to support the legislation and assist the government strengthening its legislation, as an Opposition should do in a democracy.
The current views expressed by Senator Fielding appear inconsistent and contradictory.
Charlie Grub, Wyoming NSW
Comment by Charlie Grub on 12 May 2009 at 06:48:02 PM
I just listened to Senator Fielding on ABC radio on the “alcopops” issue, and continue to be astounded by the muddled, confounded thinking. This is a serious policy issues, only diminished by the Senator’s personaility politics. Yet this is the pattern with the Senator, who seems to many issues personal crusades. This approach is a neat device to deflect (reject?) divergent opinions, different views, and the validity of a genuine discourse about how complicated matters are managed in a diverse society. To tax the government bill a mere tax issue, and then to attack the PM displays churlishness, and we know from the astounding media after he voted down the bill the first time and the almost tearful performance in the Senate that churlishness is a mark of the man. A sad but inevitable conclusion: not up to the job.
Comment by bobspann on 12 May 2009 at 12:29:02 PM
I welcome your decision for the Government to keep the tax collected so far, rather than handing it back to the alcohol industry and I support your stand on advertising and warnings on labels but suggest you can pursue them in addition to the tax.
Before the next vote on the bill I ask you to visit a couple of drive in bottle shops and observe the extensive areas devoted to displaying and promoting RTD products. It is about marketing and advertising and encouraging people to purchase. I believe that supporting the increased tax on alcopops is ONE way to reduce the high level of alcohol consumption in young people. It will only hurt the manufacturers financially but they have no interest in the health of the community and increase the level of drinking through their marketing campaigns to increase their income, in the same way as the tobacco and asbestos industries have acted.
I do not believe that this is just a tax grab. To be effective it needs to be backed up with many other initiatives.
Comment by Michael Stevens, Pharmacist on 07 May 2009 at 11:58:50 AM
An alcopop tax needs to be supported by Senator Fielding as a first step in a tax increase on all alcohol. Price sensitive teenagers will consume less alcohol, as proven by tax increases on tobacco. Let’s start with alcopops Senator Fielding, then push for the rest. The Industry hates this proposal because they know that tax increases are one of the best ways to reduce consumption. The Industry loves to push for education, because it is one of the least effective methods.
Alison Durham
Brisbane
Comment by Alison Durham on 03 May 2009 at 06:52:54 AM
I agree a tax won’t fix our boozing, brawling culture. And I believe this tax will make it worse. I’m nineteen this year, I drink alcohol, not much and not often. My drink of choice is alcopops, cruisers in particular, I like them because being premixed I can tell how much alcohol I am consuming, being in a bottle they are more difficult to spike and they taste nice. If proper study was conducted they might find that alcopops are used to wash down stronger drinks when binge drinking rather then as the only drink of young binge drinkers. I believe taxing premixed drinks will force young people (who don’t have much money) to mix there own drinks with the results that they will no longer know how much they are drinking and accidently put themselves in dangerous situations. If alcohol is too be taxed, which is not too bad an idea if the money raised is spent on rehabilitation and drug awareness education, then it should be taxed across the board. As for advertising during sport, well I don’t watch much sport, but alcohol is a drug and drugs shouldn’t be advertised on telly.
Comment by young'n'anonymous on 29 April 2009 at 04:01:22 PM
“A tax won’t fix our boozing brawling culture” .... true. And I doubt anyone is claiming that it will. But at least it will provide finances for advertising campaigns that graphically portray the stupidity of binge-drinking.
And I personally doubt that banning alcohol advertising during sporting events would make much difference either.
My own observation is that young people binge-drink for “fun”. And their ‘fun” has very little if any connection with sporting events.
Comment by BanzaM on 28 April 2009 at 09:30:30 PM
I make a further comment in regard to Senator fielding ‘s comment that all will be fine and dandy if alchol is not advertised an TV in certain times, this only demonstrates that Mr feilding is not in the real world.
I have been a policeman, and now own a busy bottle shop, I think most people are so pissed off with the way in which the country is run, the future, the stress , they simply want to remove themself from reality for a while and get drunk.
The way in which all polititions act , no wonder there is no respect in the country, you watch the question time and the attack on each other, surely sends a great message to the general public.
I personally have NO time for any polititions and I am not alone.
The general saying is They are all the same. I concur!
In regard to the Tax, I really dont care whether it stays or goes, but one thing for sure its nothing more than a further tax on 90% of the population, which they can not afford.
People will still drink, like it or not. I have noticed no difference in sales, the product mix has changed but thats about all. lately Alcopos have almost returned to the same sales levels as before the tax hike. People just get used to it, like petrol.
Richard Konarik
Comment by ruddwatch on 28 April 2009 at 08:17:01 PM
Binge drinking has been around fore ever, most of us including Mr (Strip Club) RUDD has binged. We enjoy a beer with our mates, even the former governor general is encouraging us to Raise a Glass. Truth be known most of us like getting drunk and having fun with our friends . So why the elevation in violence. Enter recreational drugs.
Scenario: Lets call this person Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
Aussie, Mixes his own spirits at home before going out to a night club
Aussie is Already Pissed as the nips have got bigger as the bottle empties. (The nips are getting bigger) Australian Crawl 1980s yep 1980
Aussie does not know how much he has consumed as measured alcopops are now too expensive.
Aussie attends a city location, he does NOT drive.
Aussie goes to a night club (free country your allowed too)
Aussie takes a ecstasy Pill then another, a line of speed some cocaine etc.
Aussie is in lala land , so Jaeger bombs are a good idea, he spends $60 on a round for his mates, Kevin07 is happy because the government has just made $24.00 (39%)
Aussie is having fun, the drugs have kicked in and home is the last place he wants to go. He could not get there anyway, because its impossible to get a Taxi and there is no public transport.
Aussie, like most is well behaved, but one of his mates who has taken 4 pills and some ICE , by this stage is becoming aggressive.
Aussies mate gets into a fight, and Aussie being an Aussie sticks up for his mates.
The polititions take the easy road and blame the alcohol, but binge drinking has been around for ever, and this extreme violence has not.
Aussie, is not himself until the following Thursday. A hangover usually lasts one day, a drug come down last three or four.
Aussie Aussie Aussie oh oh oh!
More can be seen on this topic and Kevin Rudd’s performace. http://www.ruddwatch.net (this is a non income generating site. In fact it costs me.
Richard Konarik
Richmond
Comment by ruddwatch on 28 April 2009 at 08:01:22 PM