ACT Government on the front Foot for review of Liquor laws

The ACT government is to be congratulated for raising the level of community debate about the misuse of alcohol through the recently announced review of the Liquor Act.

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) sees this review as a positive step toward creating a more responsible approach to the consumption of alcohol in the ACT.

“We all witness the harmful effect that the misuse of alcohol can have on our communities. ADCA is working at a national level to see these issues of critical importance addressed,” said ADCA CEO David Templeman.

“The responsibility for getting sensible and workable outcomes is shared among governments, the liquor industry and the wider community – but the ACT government should be applauded for taking leadership in addressing these issues,” he added.

The discussion paper now open for public consultation covers a wide range of issues from on-the-spot fines, protection of young people, issues of crowd control and the training of people working in the liquor and licensed hospitality industry.

ADCA will be contributing to this debate in a submission to the review of Liquor laws in the ACT and is calling on individuals and local community groups to also respond with their views on the need for changes to local laws.

“The local liquor industry must consider their response to the growing community concern about the levels of binge drinking in our community, because alcohol is a drug-too!” Mr Templeman said.

“They need to get behind efforts to reduce the harm the misuse of their products cause – by lending their support to efforts to educate the community and better regulate the product branding, marketing and promotion of alcohol products,” he added.

ADCA has added its support to the recently announced National Binge Drinking Strategy and is involved in the current Senate Inquiry to examine Australia’s growing alcohol toll.

ADCA is also calling for health warning labels on all alcohol products, the introduction of a comprehensive education campaign about the dangers of misusing alcohol and limits on the ways alcohol is advertised and marketed.