Burns Brendon: Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Burns Brendon: Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 17 June 2009. Volume:655;Page:4397. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
BRENDON BURNS (Labour—Christchurch Central) 
: 
 I move  
That the Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill be now read a second time 
. This bill confronts what can be done immediately to reduce the harm associated with alcohol advertising. The specific measures proposed by the bill are to amend the watershed for liquor advertising on television from 8.30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and to return the exclusive jurisdiction of liquor advertising to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. In front of us today is a small measure to reduce alcohol-related harm. Television is a small but influential component in our fight against the ills that alcohol inflicts on our communities and especially on our youth. It is my view that it is our responsibility as parliamentarians representing New Zealand communities to refine current rules as best we can and as soon as we can. 
The Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill is one of several similar bills currently before the House. This bill aims to reduce alcohol-related harm along with the Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill introduced under the previous Labour Government which looks towards local alcohol plans. It is important to note that the Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill differs from Metiria Turei’s Liquor Advertising (Television and Radio) Bill also currently before the House. This bill does not seek a complete ban on liquor advertising but simply a change in the watershed and jurisdiction of liquor advertising to further align liquor legislation with international norms and with the important premise of upholding the public’s health. I suggest that this bill complements the bill that is now in the name of the Hon Simon Power the Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill. That bill also seeks to ensure that liquor advertising is consistent with the promotion of responsibility and moderation in the consumption of alcohol and to ensure a reduction of the overall exposure of children and people under the age of 18 years to liquor advertising and liquor promotion. There are provisions in that bill to stop liquor advertising and liquor promotion from holding strong appeal to children or young people. However whereas the bill in the name of the Hon Simon Power has liquor advertising playing a supporting role this bill that we are considering tonight allows that issue—a key to the proliferation of New Zealand’s binge drinking culture—to take centre stage. 
This bill would actively reduce the overall exposure of children and people under the age of 18 to television liquor advertising and promotion and change the watershed when adverts can first be screened from 8.30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The second provision of this bill is to return the oversight of liquor advertising to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. The bill recognises that alcohol-related harm is a public health issue; as such it should be under the jurisdiction of the Government. Again the bill in the name of the Hon Simon Power has provision to give the Director-General of Health the ability to pull liquor adverts from the air. This recognises that the Advertising Standards Authority as an industry body can only go so far in addressing concerns about public health. This bill clarifies that rather than leave the important task with an industry body liquor advertising should be brought back from the Advertising Standards Authority to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. Such a move would show that this Parliament is willing to acknowledge that although the Advertising Standards Authority does a commendable job in regulating advertising at large liquor is not simply another commodity. As a public health issue it needs to be dealt with by the Government. 
The current review by the Law Commission outlined recently by its chair Sir Geoffrey Palmer supports the facts associated with alcohol-related harm. The societal and cultural damage caused by alcohol is systemic and this bill taken in conjunction with the Hon Simon Power’s bill seeks to have us as parliamentarians acknowledge that we need to act on behalf of the communities we represent. 
I will mention some background to this bill. It was originally sponsored by the Hon Matt Robson before being passed to Martin Gallagher in 2005. The bill had two parts: firstly to raise the purchase age to 20 years and to strengthen the provisions relating to the supply of minors; secondly to provide a statutory restriction on broadcast liquor advertising before 10 p.m. and transfer the jurisdiction of liquor advertising from the Advertising Standards Authority to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. 
After the bill’s first reading the Law and Order Committee divided it into two separate bills the Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction: Purchase Age) Amendment Bill which was defeated in 2006 and the Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill which is back before us today. The select committee examined the bill and recommended that it be passed with the following amendments: that the watershed relates only to television broadcasting of liquor advertisements; that exceptions to the watershed include one for advertisements in which liquor depiction is incidental to the advertisement’s purpose so as not to create problems with for example televising international sporting events; and that the exclusive jurisdiction of liquor advertisements on television by the Broadcasting Standards Authority be clarified. 
The history of broadcast liquor advertisements goes back to 1981 when the advertising of alcohol-related outlets on broadcast media was permitted. In 1991 brand-name alcohol advertising on television and radio was permitted as a result of a decision made by the then National Cabinet without the consultation of Parliament. These changes combined with the proliferation of liquor outlets in our communities and the lowering of the alcohol purchase age in 1999 have had adverse effects on alcohol-related harm which I think we all acknowledge. The current regulatory environment for liquor advertising on television comes under the jurisdiction of the Advertising Standards Authority. It works in partnership with the Advertising Standards Complaints Board and the Advertising Standards Complaints Appeal Board which is the final arbiter for complaints. This bill moves to reinstate the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s jurisdiction over liquor advertising which it lost in 1993 after the Hon Maurice Williamson’s Broadcasting Amendment Bill was passed with staunch opposition from Labour. As stated it also seeks to amend the current liquor advertising watershed from 8.30 p.m. to 10 p.m. 
Some points members may wish to consider include the fact that youth exposure to liquor advertising increased by 20 percent in 2003 after a panel appointed by the Advertising Standards Authority brought the watershed forward to 8.30 p.m. The self-regulatory framework that the Advertising Standards Authority is governed by means that the industries involved could unilaterally alter the watershed. It was believed that by adding a new principle that stated that liquor advertising must observe a high standard of social responsibility the watershed could be relaxed. That premise is misguided. As the Advertising Standards Authority is an agency driven solely by public complaints social responsibility on the part of advertisers cannot be guaranteed. Research conducted by the New Zealand Drug Foundation shows that despite the Advertising Standards Authority’s intention that liquor advertisements do not use heroes of the young or unduly masculine themes or behaviour in fact television advertisements are largely associated with exaggerated mateship masculinity and boisterous group scenes. Under the Advertising Standards Authority all those advertisements pass industry pre-vetting. That indicates that there is a reoccurring issue with advertisers’ interpretations of the code. 
There is now a call from constituents asking us as parliamentarians to address the concerns of alcohol-related harm. This bill asks that we take a small responsible step and give regulation to a body with the public interest as its primary concern and also move television liquor advertising to a later commencement time. I believe that it is expected of us as parliamentarians to do our best to align the bills currently before the House. The Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill complements the bill in the name of the Hon Simon Power by providing a specific focus on the power and influence of television advertising. I commend this bill to the House and I seek the support of members who of course are allowed to exercise their conscience vote on this measure. Thank you.