Locke Keith: Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill — First Reading 
Locke Keith: Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:652;Page:1803] 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 The Green Party is supporting the Sale and Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill. From the time when alcohol was first introduced by the settlers many decades ago our country has had a drinking problem. That drinking problem led to the establishment of very big organisations such as the New Zealand Women’s Christian Temperance Union which was a motivating factor in women being given the right to vote in 1893 to try to control the drinking problem the level of alcoholism and the binge drinking. I think binge drinking was reinforced by the 6 o’clock closing time that we had for many years. People drank huge amounts up until the in effect 6.15 p.m. closing time. It is good that this bill will make some progress in controlling binge drinking particularly amongst young people. 
I will comment on a couple of provisions such as the local alcohol plans. I was struck by the need for such plans a year or so ago when I went to my local barbershop—hairdresser—about 30 metres off Karangahape Road in Auckland which is a retail area. I went there at about half-past 10 on a Saturday morning and about 10 metres away from the barbershop and other retail premises there was a liquor outlet—a bar—going full bore. Apparently the way things went in that K Road area the bar only really got going at about 3 a.m. and it was licensed to go through until midday. So people like myself who were arriving at the hairdressers could not hear ourselves. Basically the neighbouring retail premises to this liquor outlet lost all their business on a Saturday morning because of the drunkenness around them—people being sick on the pavement and the like. 
 The suggestion in the legislation once it is implemented of local alcohol plans to be adopted relating to the sale or consumption of alcohol within a local district particularly with the consultative way in which this plan is to be formulated will mean the end of situations that I have described which are totally out of sync with community interests. There is no way that that bar should have been open at those hours right in the middle of a shopping community on a Saturday morning. 
The other point I will address is the question of advertising and promotions. The Green Party is not in favour of alcohol advertising. We have campaigned against it in relation to advertising in the media and elsewhere. This bill here goes a step towards the Green goal but not far enough because there is a little bit of a contradiction in some of its principles. The bill states: “liquor advertising and liquor promotion should not hold strong appeal to children or young people.” Well anyone who looks at liquor advertising will know that it is directed primarily at young people; it is not directed at people who are 40 or 50 years old who are set in their drinking ways in one way or another. Advertising tries to increase consumption of a particular product among young people. Members could look at any advert on a billboard on television or whatever and see that that is the reality. If this legislation can restrict that then good on it but it will be a bit difficult. 
The bill states: “liquor advertising and liquor promotion should not be inconsistent with the promotion of responsibility and moderation in the consumption of alcohol;”. Again I think the whole point of advertising is to get people to drink more than they otherwise would. It would be good if adverts stated “Don’t drink more than one glass.” or whatever but I have not seen them and I think that even under this bill I am probably unlikely to see them. 
Restricting advertising is very important for the health of people and particularly for our young people. When we have alcohol companies promoting a sport—and Lion Red is used a lot at sports events—there is a contradiction there. We have a big debate in relation to the New Zealand Rugby League which the Warriors are part of. The league is arguing about whether it should ban its players from using alcohol at all. It has said it would be a bit difficult to do that but the very fact that it is having that debate at the same time as we are having teams being sponsored and promoted by alcohol companies is a little bit contradictory. It is a step forward in the advertising area to go beyond our previous voluntary self-regulation to what is called enforced self-regulation. 
It is good that under the advertising provision proposed in new section 136B in relation to the recognition of the liquor advertising advisory body it states: “when reviewing its codes devising appropriate ways of engaging with the community to elicit a range of views on them;”. I think that is critical and Lianne Dalziel also recognised that if the community becomes aware of this new law and its powers together with the local bodies then we will see big change in terms of the way in which New Zealand liquor advertising is conducted—and hopefully in the extent of that advertising. Thank you.