Power Simon: Alcohol Reform Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Power Simon: Alcohol Reform Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 13 September 2011. Volume:675;Page:21193. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon SIMON POWER (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 I move  
That the Alcohol Reform Bill be now read a second time 
. The bill implements the Government’s response to the Law Commission’s report  
Alcohol in our Lives: Curbing the Harm 
. The bill represents a balanced approach that aims to support the safe and responsible sale supply and consumption of alcohol. It will increase community input into local alcohol licensing decisions and improve the operation of the alcohol licensing system. The bill repeals and replaces the entire Sale of Liquor Act 1989 and for the first time in more than 20 years Parliament is acting to restrict rather than to relax our liquor laws. This bill will make fundamental changes to how when where and what New Zealanders drink. In particular the bill hones in on the disproportionate impact that alcohol-related harm has on our young people. 
I take this opportunity to thank the Maori Party and United Future for their approaches to the report back of this bill. I also thank the Justice and Electoral Committee chair Chester Borrows for the sterling job he did in steering the committee through its consideration of the bill. My thanks also go to the Justice and Electoral Committee for its hard work and sensible recommendations. 
Altogether the committee received 1647 substantive submissions and 7175 form submissions on the bill and sat for more than 90 hours of hearings. The majority of submitters who expressed a view on the bill supported its intent but considered that further restrictions on the sale and supply of alcohol were warranted. The Government has acted on these concerns adopting all 130 of the select committee’s recommendations. 
One of the major substantive changes recommended by the committee is to require supermarkets and grocery stores to display alcohol in only one non-prominent area of the store. This move aims to reduce concerns about the normalising effect of alcohol sales in supermarkets alongside sales of everyday household goods. It will also reduce the exposure of young people to alcohol. The select committee recommended introducing a minimum age of 20 years to obtain a manager’s certificate. This is in line with the minimum age to be a licensee and reflects the increased responsibility of managers under the new regime. The bill also now requires Police Fire Service and Defence Force canteens and messes to implement internal codes of practice that will closely follow the rules and restrictions applying to clubs. 
Other changes to the bill are designed to improve the workability of the legislation and to more closely reflect modern business practices. For example the bill now explicitly prohibits convenience stores from selling alcohol. The definition of “grocery store” has been amended to make clear that dairies are not eligible for an off-licence. The term “grocery store” will be limited to premises that sell a wide range of food products and other household items where the principal business is the sale of food products other than convenience foods. A further trading hours amendment provides for limited exceptions for genuine events to the national maximum hours. 
Although the select committee has made major changes to some parts of the bill the provisions that will have the biggest impact on young people remain essentially unchanged. Once the bill is enacted it will be an offence for anyone other than a parent or guardian to provide alcohol to an under-18-year-old without a parent or guardian’s consent. In addition when alcohol is provided to an under-18-year-old the parent guardian or authorised person will need to ensure that the alcohol is supplied in a responsible manner. The bill also introduces a new purchase age regime: 18 for on-licences and 20 for off-licences. The committee did not make any recommendations in this area as these provisions will ultimately likely be subject to a conscience vote in Parliament. 
Of course legislation alone will not be enough to turn round our drinking culture. That is why in addition to the measures contained in the bill the Government recently announced that an extra $10 million per year of excise revenue will be used to fund alcohol treatment and workforce training. The Government announced also that an expert forum will be set up to examine whether further restrictions to advertising and sponsorship are necessary to reduce alcohol-related harm. Alcohol advertising is a complex and evolving area and the impacts of any further restrictions need careful consideration. 
The Government will continue its investigation into a minimum price regime alongside the introduction of this bill. A key part of this investigation is obtaining alcohol price and sales data from the alcohol industry. I remain very hopeful that this information will be provided voluntarily. However a regulation-making power has been added to the bill as a backstop measure should non-regulatory options for obtaining this data fail or if further data is required. 
The bill will provide a strong and enduring legislative framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in New Zealand and I commend the bill to the House.