SpeechCHRIS BAILLIE (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of ACT to speak to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill. We're in opposition to this bill. The bill states that the main objective is the sale supply and consumption of alcohol—so make sure it's undertaken safely and responsibly and the harm caused is minimised which is all great. But protecting communities by taking a sledgehammer to a nut is not the way we think. We believe this bill is another attack on democracy and especially the right to appeal which is almost unprecedented in the law in the situation we've got around this country today; everyone has the right to appeal if they don't agree. And it's a sad day when a group of people is punished for defending themselves too well and being too successful in organising their case and wearing a suit and tie should not be a factor in legislation. Maybe we need to look at councils and try and work out why they are so poor at getting these local alcohol policies through and maybe give them some support. Instead we are yet again attacking the businesses who are often part of that community. We're hearing from members talking about these shops as if they're a completely different entity; they're actually part of the community as well. Often the people go to the school together all of that sort of stuff. They are actually part of the community. And businesses over the last six years have been under attack and that's been traversed so many times I'm not going to bother today. The vindictive and vexatious complaints by interest groups has sort of been brushed over but it's a very real concern from businesses and to think that that's not going to happen is really a naïve way of understanding how people work.Supermarkets have indicated that they don't think it's necessary. They're going to need more security are going to be more vulnerable and they're worried about the extra rules that they're going to have to follow as well.I spoke last week to a healthcare worker who had been in the profession for quite a long time. He wanted to talk to me about alcohol harm and the abuse of alcohol and the agencies that were available in town and how to access them. We started talking—we actually had a discussion which is something that we don't have here very often; we just say what we think and get shot down by it. But we actually had a discussion and he was saying how he thought this bill—he brought the bill up—was a great bill protecting communities all of those sorts of things that it says it's going to do. And I put my view across that alcohol use is actually reducing anyway and the idea of personal responsibility—that people aren't forced to drink alcohol and behave the way they do—and sort of pointed out the current rules that those in the alcohol industry actually have to abide by already. And suffice to say I'm not convinced but he could well be voting ACT in October.People have had enough of being treated like they're stupid and they don't want to be babysat all through their lives. This bill is an overreach of council powers and is very undemocratic. It's aimed yet again at the lowest common denominator and ACT opposes this bill. Thanks.