Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I understand why members opposite are a little bit touchy and a little bit embarrassed about this, because they have been absolutely all over the place. The member for North Sydney has been on radio saying:

… I don’t think you should overplay it. Let’s not go over the top.

The Leader of the Opposition supported the measure; now he opposes it. In fact, there has recently been a single Liberal in the country who has actually spoken some sense on this issue. Perhaps I should take the House to the comments of Dr John Herron, the Chair of the Australian National Council on Drugs and a former senior Liberal minister, who wrote to the Prime Minister recently congratulating the government on the budget initiatives that were taken. In the letter, Dr Herron said:

Utilising the taxation system is one of the most effective measures we have for reducing alcohol-related harm and problems for both individuals—

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