I am pleased that the Government is proposing to let local authorities such as the new Auckland Council to have a greater say on issues relating to alcohol sale and consumption through local alcohol plans.
Local authorities know what is good for their communities rather than those in Wellington, especially since what may suit the Auckland Viaduct may not necessarily be appropriate for Mt Roskill and the surrounding suburbs.
I hope the new Auckland Council will delegate real power to the new Local Boards on the number, location and operating hours of liquor outlets.
Less than two years ago, the Roskill South community united against a proposed liquor outlet in the local area that was close to schools and parks.
Eventually, the applicant backed down. It proved to me that the local community passionately cares and wants a say about alcohol in their community.
Binge drinking has become an accepted part of our culture but cannot continue.
The harm caused by alcohol not only affects individuals, but also their families, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, and the society as a whole.
Alcohol is estimated to contribute to 1000 deaths a year. During weekends, seven out of 10 cases at Accident & Emergency are related to alcohol.
Alcohol is also a driver of crime. It plays a part in 30% of all offences, 34% of family violence, and one in every two homicides.
These statistics cannot be ignored. We need to tackle this problem.
People have told us that alcohol laws are not tough enough. We have responded to their concerns.
National’s alcohol law reform package adopts in full, or in part, 126 of the Law Commission’s 153 recommendations, and many other changes.
We are focusing on minimising alcohol related-harm, including crime, disorder, and public health problems. Our package zeroes in on where harm is occurring, particularly around young people.
Maximum opening hours will be set as 7 am to 11pm for off-license outlets (such as bottle stores) and 8 am to 4am for on-licenses (such as bars), where local authorities have not adopted a local alcohol policy.
We would be giving parents more tools to manage their children’s access to alcohol, and requiring people to be more responsible when supplying alcohol to minors.
This package would strike the right balance and would not unfairly affect responsible drinkers but would deal with the considerable harm alcohol causes.
We see our reform package as a starting point for Parliament’s discussion about alcohol. You can have your say about the proposed measures when the Alcohol Reform Bill reaches Select Committee.
We will be introducing legislation to Parliament in October 2010 and hope to have the law in place by the end of next year.
Dr Jackie Blue in Member of Parliament on National’s List. The above article is exclusive to Indian Newslink ©
