John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I speak today on behalf of Reverend Bill Crews and the Exodus Foundation and their campaign for the mandatory labelling of a health warning on alcohol products. On 12 May this year I, along with my good friend and colleague the member for Bradfield, the Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson, again had the pleasure of meeting members of the Exodus Men’s Group here in Canberra to discuss the progress of their campaign. Some of these men are victims of alcohol abuse and they have experienced the full effects of such misuse. Members of this group are digging deep to share their very personal and painful experiences to expose the effects of alcohol misuse, particularly for our young people and vulnerable communities. Members of the Exodus Men’s Group wish to raise awareness of the unacknowledged problems of alcohol abuse and provide a catalyst for positive change. The evidence collected on the statistics of alcohol misuse is alarming. Listed on the foundation’s petition, it notes that 64 per cent of boys and 69 per cent of girls aged 14 to 17 years are drinking regularly; one in three Australians drink at a level which risks short-term harm such as violence, injury and accidents; and one in 10 Australians drinks at a level which risks long-term harm such as addiction, brain damage and liver and heart damage. These are startling statistics.

At present it is mandatory for the labels of alcoholic beverages to provide information on the alcoholic strength of the beverage and the number of standard drinks in the bottle or container. However, there is at present no requirement for any health warning. Further, unlike non-alcoholic beverages and food, labels for alcoholic beverages are not required to list ingredients or nutritional information. It appears that currently very few requirements exist for alcohol container labelling. Moreover, there is growing public interest in tackling the obvious problems of alcohol misuse in our society.

In the 2004 and 2007 National Drug Strategy household survey, 70 per cent of Australians supported information in the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian alcohol guidelines being added to alcohol containers. Further, in a 2008 poll in the Sun Herald newspaper, 62 per cent of 15,000 people surveyed supported the inclusion of cigarette style warning labels on alcohol containers. In a petition I tabled with Dr Nelson in the House in June 2007, over 1,000 signatories, some from my electorate of Lowe, drew to the attention of the House that the misuse of alcohol causes significant harm to both the individual and the community. Further, signatories noted that, although they are aware of the compulsory standard-drink labelling for alcohol beverages in Australia, such labelling does not contain sufficient information for consumers to be able to make an informed decision, as the risks associated with alcohol misuse are not included on current alcohol labelling.

Perhaps the growing interest in the introduction of better labelling on alcohol containers reflects the rising concern about the increase in the number of Australian youths consuming alcohol at unacceptably high levels. At an Exodus Foundation alcohol forum in June 2007, Professor Dr Ian Webster said:

Alcohol labelling has been tried and is in place in ten countries. The paradox is, when we sell wine from Australia in California, it has to have the labels on it but we don’t put those same labels on it in Australia.

The overwhelming evidence suggests that warning labels can serve as the first step in behavioural change through their impact on the cognitive and behavioural process necessary for that behavioural change. Further, a meta-analysis of research evaluating the effectiveness of alcohol warning labels, conducted by US researchers Gina Agostinelli and Joel Grube, found that warning labels have the potential to influence drinking behaviour and that this potential is heavily influenced by label design.

In light of the serious consequences of alcohol misuse on individuals, families and communities, the minimal information currently provided on alcoholic labels, and evidence to suggest that further information on labels has the potential to influence drinking behaviour, I support the Exodus Men’s Group’s campaign for better health warnings on alcohol containers. I commend the Exodus Foundation for its efforts to inform the wider community of the effects of alcohol misuse and its endeavour to help the youth of our country to avoid the serious consequences of alcohol abuse. Reverend Bill Crews stated in his petition:

The introduction of a health warning on alcohol products would be a logical and humble first step.

I could not agree more. (Time expired)