Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I absolutely believe this, because I have read the evidence, which you refuse to countenance. The evidence says that we have reduced consumption of alcopops in this country by $124 million in the last nine months. That is the reduction in the consumption of alcopops. Add to that the fact that we know that alcopops are designed to be marketed to young people and under-age people. That is why they advertise on Facebook. That is why they put things into magazines that children buy.

If we do not pass this measure today, all that is gone. If we do not pass this measure today, all the work that we have done in the last 12 to 15 months will be undermined. Our government retains its commitment to turning around the culture of inappropriate drinking in this country, but if this legislation is not passed today that will be, in the minds of the community and particularly of the young people of Australia, seriously questioned. On the one hand, we are saying that we have to spend money to change the culture around binge drinking but, on the other hand, we make these things cheaper when we know the biggest lever we can pull to stop kids drinking is price because they have not got an expanding pocket and they do not have an expanding wallet. They are price limited. If we make them more expensive, the likelihood that fewer will be drunk is extremely high. That was the evidence that was provided to the Senate committee. I urge senators to do the right thing for the young people of Australia to keep them off alcohol, as the NHMRC says we should, for as long as we possibly can. This is a good measure, it is working, we know it is working, and I urge the Senate to support it.