Senator Steve Fielding - Leader of Family First
TV booze ads to be shut down
Posted by Senator Steve Fielding on April 02 2009 | 5 Comments
Shutting down the known link between alcohol and sport has been a key focus for me since I got into the Senate.
Today a key player in the alcohol industry, the Distilled Spirits Industry group, has agreed to shut down the link between alcohol and sport by cutting alcohol advertising during family viewing time before 9pm and they will lobby other industry groups to do the same.
This is an important breakthrough and one Family First has negotiated because the Rudd government put it in the too hard basket and simply wouldn’t even try to work with the industry on this.
This will break the link between sport and alcohol by tackling the cultural mindset in Australia that links the two.
How can the Rudd government justify failing to legislate on shutting down the loophole that allows alcohol ads to run during sports events in family viewing times when a large section of the industry has agreed to this measure?
With a large section of the industry on board, the government must act and legislate to ensure that these ads can not reappear during sports events in family viewing time.
Today I spoke with Health Minister Nicola Roxon at her request. I told her that if the government was going to go ahead with introducing a $3 billion tax on all alcohol as reported in The Age then it further demonstrated the government just doesn’t get how to tackle this problem. It still just sees binge drinking as a tax problem. Once again, the government misses an opportunity to really tackle this problem.
72% of Australians want alcohol ads gone during family viewing time, a large section of the industry has agreed to it and will lobby the remaining sections of the industry to get on board and what does the Rudd government do? It wants to tax all alcohol products.
I look forward to that light bulb moment when the government actually grasps the enormity of this problem and legislates to cut the ties between alcohol and sport. That’s something I’ll be happy to vote for.
Many seem to ignore the fact that the sweet alcopops were specifically designed to introduce immature palates to alcoholic drinks. Young kids don’t like the taste of wines and spirits.
The argument that young people they will mix their own is nonsense in the case of teenage girls in clubs or pubs. They have to buy what’s available.
I can’t believe that in the light of the just released findings regarding the long term consequences of early introduction to alcohol that you are going to obstruct the Government’s positive initiative.
And to those who say that the Alcopops TAX is only about getting revenue, you should look at the research regarding the relationship between the price of alcohol and the consumption of alcohol.
Comment by Disgusted on 19 April 2009 at 04:19:12 PM
I applaud your stance on stopping alcahol advertising during sport on TV. The sporting world won’t grind to a halt if that hapens. But I implore you to accept the Alchopops Bill first and then you will have more appeal with everyone to tryi and stop the TV advertising of alcahold during sporting events. Please, think what Jesus would have done - first things first. Faythe from Melbourne
Comment by Delphic Oracle on 16 April 2009 at 01:52:31 PM
“The link between alcohol and sport” ...
Dear Senator I feel you have over-rated “the link between alcohol and sport”.
I recall that there was a similar link between “tobacco and sport”. Over the years ALL advertising of tobacco products has been banned - in many nations around the world - yet, smoking continues to be a major health issue. Why? ..... because it is a cultural issue. The culture needs to be changed ... Taxing tobacco along with other control measures and massive public-education campaigns are SLOWLY changing the culture.
I do not think that the Rudd-Labor government was naive enought to think that taxing alcopops ALONE would change the binge-drinking culture. And I very much doubt they think that taxing alcohol would achieve the same goal. Taxing alcohol is simply a way of raising money to finance public education campaigns ....
We all know that price hikes, whether induced by market forces or mandated by government, do little to change the addictions of any society. We simply get used to the higher prices and accept them in the long run.
We want the government to fund all sorts of public-education programmes and to help those negatively affected by alcohol-related probelms. No problem - I also would like the government to spend more money in these areas.
But, Senator Fielding, where does the money come from?
It is only right that those who benefit and profit from the nation’s alcohol-related problems should pay for the culture-changing solutions.
People call for “real solutions” (MBirch for example)—yet, I note, they do not offer any suggestions. Nor do they suggest HOW we, as a nation, are to fund the “real solutions”.
Comment by BanzaM on 04 April 2009 at 02:07:12 PM
“Industry to phase out alcohol ads”
If this news report I just read is true, then this is a wonderful achievement Steve!!
Keep pushing on this. You are making a difference.
God bless, acs.
Comment by acs on 02 April 2009 at 11:23:57 PM
Surprise surprise, even the industry is willing to do more about preventing binge drinking than the Government.
Makes you sick when the industry is willing to donate four times as much to preventative measures than the Government in a last minute bid to pass a tax snatch.
Now they’ve really lost the plot, I agree in a simplified volumetric system but surely responsible adult drinkers don’t have to endure this proposed punishment of a hike in beer and wine excise now.
The real motive behind the failed pre-mix tax comes out now; revenue.
“Alcopops tax, save the children” won some mothers over that didn’t look past the surface, but a beer and wine tax hike will simply not be accepted by Australia.
We need some real solutions to the problem.
Comment by MBirch on 02 April 2009 at 09:01:07 PM