Alcohol industry controls government policy

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 17 Mar 2013.

On Thursday the NSW & ACT Alcohol Policy Alliance held a summit on alcohol, reviewing a 2003 summit on alcohol abuse and a subsequent report charting the way ahead on alcohol reform, and investigating why the NSW Government implemented very few recommendations most likely to reduce alcohol-related harm through hospitalisation, assault, family violence, and alcohol-related road deaths.

Despite what appear to many as the best of intentions, the 2003 summit failed to contribute to an overall decline in alcohol-related harms in NSW.  This is disgraceful and shows how deep the connections are between the alcohol industry and the NSW Government.

The NSW Council of Churches supports the Alcohol Policy Alliance in calling for the NSW Government to address the supply of alcohol, to recognise and act on the need for population-based interventions, and – importantly – to place a much greater emphasis on consultation with public health experts and the community, rather than the alcohol industry.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.