A new West Australian report has found that individuals are getting fined for problem drinking, not licensees.

Raising the Bar: Implementing key provisions of the Liquor Control Act in licensed premises looks at the monitoring and enforcement of the Liquor Control Act between 2006-2007. The report found that licensees appeared to be avoiding punishment for infringements. In fact, licensees and staff were less likely to be reprimanded for allowing a drunk person to be on their premises.

However according to AHAWA’s Bradley Woods, the licensees are “being made the scapegoats.”

I’m not quite sure how, given the review found there was an increase in the number of people fined for breaking the law. Indeed, over 90% of fines were made to individuals.

"As much as the police, licensees or government agencies can try and stop it, individuals will continue to try and get drunk and they've been doing that since alcohol was created," Mr Woods pontificated.

Excuse me? Individuals will continue to try and get drunk? Gosh - well if that’s the case then there’s obviously nothing that licensees and staff can do about it.

This comment, from someone who represents licensees, flies in the face of the whole principle of responsible service of alcohol – the provision an environment where people can go to socialise and enjoy a drink without patrons getting drunk and possibly contributing to violent behaviour.

Isn’t that supposedly a licensee’s job?

The comment also ignores the influence of the environment on people’s behaviour – that if the environment allows or promotes irresponsible service of alcohol then there’s going to be increased consumption and increased alcohol related problems.

But of course, they’ll spend more money.

Until next week,

Sarah Jaggard
Community Mobilisation Policy Officer

The Victorian Government has introduced the Liquor Control Reform Amendment Bill into Parliament that will make it an offence under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 for a person to supply alcohol to a minor (a person under the age of 18 years) in a private home without parental consent.

The government believes that parents should have greater control over their child’s consumption of alcohol.

The proposed new laws will require a person to have parental consent before supplying alcohol to minors in their home. This will help parents feel more assured when their children are visiting friends’ houses that they are not drinking alcoholic beverages without their knowledge.

Read more.

The program for the upcoming 6th International Conference on Drugs and Young People: Making the Connections is now available.

See the 6DYP website for a full listing of keynotes addresses, concurrent streams and other conference events.

Early Bird Registration closes on Thursday, March 31, 2011. Full registration details are available at the 6DYP website.

Queries can be directed to the Program Coordinator, via email or by phone 03 9645 631.

Ballarat project praises new underage drinking law
The Courier, 23 March 2011
Tough new underage drinking laws could see parents who supply alcohol to children facing fines of more than $7000.
Legislation, to be introduced to State Parliament this week, will target parents who supply alcohol to other people’s children without their consent.

Drinking in navy gone overboard
Northern Territory News, 24 March 2011
Every Darwin sailor could soon be breath-tested while on duty under what the navy calls a "hard-hitting campaign" to crack down on alcohol abuse in the service.
They may also face complete alcohol bans and curfews in some ports.

Binge drinking program reduces emergency department presentations
ABC News, 25 March 2011
The number of intoxicated people presenting to the Broken Hill emergency department has dramatically dropped over the last two years.
The 'Drink Safe Community Initiative' has been running programs in the city since 2008 to the promote community awareness and educate young people on the dangers of binge drinking.

The retail beer war raises important public health concerns
Croakey, March 25 2011
The beer war between brewers and supermarkets highlights the need for the community to have more input into alcohol regulation and policy, says a drug and alcohol expert associated with VicHealth, Associate Professor John Fitzgerald. And at the bottom of the post, Geoff Munro of the Australian Drug Foundation, tackles Crikey’s Bernard Keane over his recent defence of competition producing cheap alcohol.

Nowhere to run or hide from sport's risky booze culture
The Australian, 26 March 2011
THIS year has already witnessed several leading sportsmen whose lives and careers have been severely tarnished, if not destroyed, by their alcoholism, and sometimes other addictions. Despite the widely reported good intentions of troubled sports stars, it is not easy for a person to stop drinking and stay stopped, then negotiate the world without resorting to alcohol or other drugs, or to compulsive gambling. Anyone who has experienced the ravages of alcohol addiction and who has tried to beat it knows the immensity of that task.