Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Youth. Will the minister update the House on the role that alcohol plays in violence among young Australians and the need for decisive action to address binge drinking?

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Youth and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chisholm for this question about an issue that is important not just in her electorate but in every community right around the nation. What we know is that Australia is facing a growing epidemic of alcohol fuelled violence, and it is having a devastating impact. If we have a look at the statistics we see that the number of assaults has jumped from around 9,000 per year in 1995 to almost 16,000 in 2006. We can also see that the methods of these assaults are apparently becoming increasingly gruesome, with reports of a 25 per cent increase in the number of glassings in New South Wales between 2003 and 2008. The simple truth is that whilst young people are often portrayed as the most common perpetrators of this violence they are also the most common victims. Statistics tell us that both males and females between the ages of 15 and 24 have the highest rate for being the victims of assault.

This government recently hosted the inaugural youTHINK event, where over 650 young Australians from right around the country came together at 10 locations, which were linked by satellite, to give us their views on violence within the community and what needs to be done to offer them greater protection. We heard from Australians firsthand that they want to feel safe and secure in their environments and in their local communities, but we also heard directly from them their concerns about the links between alcohol and violence.

This government echoes those concerns. We also want to break this nexus. That is why we have announced a comprehensive binge-drinking strategy, which of course includes the alcopop measure that is currently before the parliament. We know that the teenagers who drink alcohol at risky levels have a stronger preference for alcopops compared to low-risk drinkers. We also know that 75 per cent of females aged between 14 and 19 who consume alcohol at risky levels usually drink alcopops and that 64 per cent of males in the same category consume RTDs from a can. This means that alcopops are indeed central to the campaign to address binge drinking and violence. This is having a negative impact not just upon the health of young people but on their safety and security, which is why we on this side of the House have declared that we must act on these community concerns; we must stop the violence out there in the community. So we are showing leadership on this issue by putting in place the measures that are needed to protect young Australians and offer them a safe future. By comparison, the opposition are sitting back, carping, being negative and standing in the way instead of getting in line and helping pass this important legislation.