Sabin Mike: Alcohol Reform Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Sabin Mike: Alcohol Reform Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 06 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7294. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MIKE SABIN (National—Northland) 
: 
 I am very pleased to take a call on the Alcohol Reform Bill. For those who are not aware in my background I have had some involvement at the bottom of the cliff with this situation as a former police officer and I was also involved in drug and alcohol education. Firstly can I just acknowledge the professionals who are working out in the field—the police officers and those across the emergency services spectrum—who do an unenviable job but a very good job and a very necessary job unfortunately and also those in the treatment community who are doing their level best. 
This problem with alcohol is not related to alcohol alone. Our substance abuse issues in this nation are something to be frowned on significantly. About 85 percent of people in New Zealand consume alcohol it is thought and the vast majority of people it must be said actually do not have an issue with it—which is not what we see with some of the illicit drugs that some members of this House would have us decriminalise tomorrow if they had the chance. The issue then becomes how we change those who do not drink responsibly and the implications of that. Because this is a large group across society it affects a large number of people. So by volume it is a significant problem; by consequence I would not necessarily say that is the case. But really there are a number of issues that need addressing. This bill really sets out to address a number of them and I want to touch on a couple. 
 We have already dealt with the matter of age in the House. My vote was obviously to see the age raised to 20. That was an opportunity missed and gone and I am sure our community will take time to remind us of that in due course. But that was only one measure and it is fair to say that a suite of measures a range of measures across the whole spectrum is required not one or two sort of big-ticket items as some would have you think. The changes that we have seen in the bill go from the area of policing enforcement right through to the point-of-sale area advertising licensing the way in which trusts operate and giving more powers to councils which has been traversed. I do not want to speak too much more on that other than to say that giving power to communities and communities being able to have a clearer say in what they know their communities are about and how they operate I think is very important. 
One of the significant issues of discussion this afternoon has been price and I can accept that as the price rises it will have a deterring effect on some. But as we have seen with tobacco it has to rise substantially before we really start to see any difference. In fact recently there was some talk that a packet of cigarettes would need to go to $100 before it would have a consequent effect that would be substantial in terms of turning people away from that substance. However alcohol is in a different category again. If we look at illicit drugs $1000 for a gram of methamphetamine does not seem to put people off there so price is not necessarily something that is going to address the issues. Having said that I do believe that the jury is out on minimum pricing. Excise tax and what have you are tools but again I come back to the point of how far does it need to go before it will make a difference versus the culture change that needs to happen. Culture comes from empowering a community across a range of ways and imparting a message not just relying on one lever that would shift that culture. 
One important factor that I think would be far more substantial than the minimum pricing is actually the tools that this bill seeks to give parents. Children can get alcohol from adults in a private setting and this is very commonly the case. As a policeman I certainly saw this. Really things can go off the rails outside of licensed premises and it is incumbent on this Parliament and indeed through this bill that we give parents—responsible parents—more tools to ensure that their children are not in a position where they are drinking irresponsibly. Are you about to hit that buzzer Mr Chairman or are you just stretching your arm? In any event could I just say that the range of tools is what is important not any one measure. And as far as the minimum pricing goes— 
Iain Lees-Galloway 
: 10 seconds. 
MIKE SABIN 
: Thank you very much. As far as the minimum pricing goes I think that will be less effective than the tools available and given to parents.