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Last Drinks For Alcopops Tax

Press Releases April 16 2009

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The Rudd government’s alcopops tax is doomed to fail a second time unless the government agrees to introduce measures to cut the links between alcohol advertising and sport, Family First Leader Senator Steve Fielding said today.

“There’s a simple solution to the government’s problem with this tax measure. Legislate to permanently close the loophole that allows alcohol ads to be shown during sports programs in family viewing times.

“Make good the promise you gave to me last month that warning labels would be fixed on all alcohol products as they are for Australian alcohol products sent to other countries and that a supplementary advertising campaign on the warning labels would run. The government must also follow through on its commitment to me that control on regulating the industry will not be left just in the hands of the industry.

“These measures will ensure my vote for your tax.

“We get one bite at this cherry that is binge drinking. This is the time for action. To those who say to me that this tax is a step in the right direction I disagree. The government’s not stepping in the right direction, it’s not even looking in the right direction.

“Now is the time to make a difference to Australia’s culture of excessive alcohol.

“The government complains that it has to find $1.6 billion if this tax measure doesn’t go through. It costs $15.6 billion to mop up the mess left by alcohol abuse in terms of hospital admissions, police, and the cost to families and communities and that’s just the financial cost, not the emotional cost.

“By really addressing the issue of binge drinking, the government could be using this money wasted on cleaning up the mess caused by alcohol abuse in a more productive way.

“I urge the government not to waste this opportunity to really tackle binge drinking and change the cultural mindset of alcohol abuse in Australia.”

For media enquiries phone Jo Robertson 0409 550 446