Lecture 17: Alcohol Policy in New Zealand Flashcards
how many alcohol-attributable deaths were there in NZ for those under 80 years of age in 2007?
n=802
injuries = 47% cancers = 30% other = 27%
alcohol is the leading preventable risk factor for cancer
what are some harms from other peoples drinking?
- physical violence
- sexual violence
- traffic injuries, fires
- child abuse and neglect
- wellbeing of drinker’s families
- effects on co-workers
- property damage, neighbourhood amenity
what are the most effective strategies for alcohol?
- pricing and taxation
- regulating the availability of alcohol
- regulating alcohol promotion
- drink-driving countermeasures
- treatment and early intervention
prohibition is neither necessary not desirable
what is the history of alcohol policy of NZ?
1917 - colonialism, temperance (Europeans brought alcohol to NZ, Maori called it ‘waipiro’ - stinking water, ‘six o’clock swill until 1967- had pubs close at 6)
1986 - Laking Report: major review of alcohol laws. rejection of availability argument
1989 - New sale of Liquor Act (amended 1999) which aimed to turn NZ into European drinkers. lead to rapid proliferation of outlets- wine in supermarkets. lowered the minimum legal purchase age (MLPA); beer in supermarkets; sunday trading
2005-2006 - Private Members Bill on the MLPA - review of youth drinking (at the time NZ had no alcohol policy).
2008 - election campaign
what were the terms of reference of the Law Commission review of 2008-2010?
- To examine and evaluate the current laws and policies relating to the sale, supply and consumption of liquor in NZ
- to consider and formulate for the Government and Parliament a revised policy framework covering the principles that regulate the sale, supply and consumption of liquor in NZ, having regard for present and future social conditions and trend
- to deal explicitly with the harms from drinking
- the prepare an issues paper for publication and take submissions on it, and to engage in extensive public consultation
- to prepare a final report, including the proposed new policy framework and draft legislation, so that people can judge accurately the precise effects of what is proposed
What happened when the Law Commission Review came into action?
Extensive consultation with all sectors
- Alcohol in Our Lives: An issues paper on the reform of New Zealand’s Liquor Laws with tentative recommendations - went out to public
-
What happened when the Law Commission Review came into action?
Extensive consultation with all sectors
- Alcohol in Our Lives: An issues paper on the reform of New Zealand’s Liquor Laws with tentative recommendations - went out to public
- 3000+ public submissions; huge response from researchers and industry
- following the issues paper, Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm (2010) came out which gave formal recommendations
what were the recommendations that came from Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm
- increase price
- regulate promotion
- regulate advertising/sponsorship
- increase purchase age to 20
- reduce opening hours
- improved treatment
^can see how these are similar to what the law commision concluded
what is the price of alcohol?
Excise tax
- 50% increase in tax = 10% increase in price of all alcohol products = 5% reduction in consumption
Minimum Unit Pricing
- $1.20 minimum per standard drink
- Only affects cheap alcohol
- $9 for bottle of wine
this targets young and heavy drinkers
what were the government proposals?
- No increased tax or price control
- Minor changes to availability
- No control of supermarket sales
- No policy of purchase age
- No major change to on-licence hours
- Minor restriction to off-licence hours
- No control of promotion or marketing
- No reduction in adult legal BAC limit
what does this show?
The public response was very high
Majority of NZ supported healthy alcohol policies
what was the legislative process?
Select Committee considered the Alcohol Reform Bill - cross-party
- they received approx 6000 written submissions - 5000 were linked with Alcohol Action NZ, including many postcard submissions
- Hearing of 24 February 2011 (christchurch earthquakes happen in 22 Feb, but they still went ahead with it)
- some changes were made to the Bill but Labour and Greens both wrote “minority report” since they were unhappy about the result
- the third reading of the Bill was delayed many times
- there was a separate conscience vote on purchase age (MPs can vote for themselves instead of voting with their party)
- passing of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012
- A large number of Supplementary Order Papers were prepared (potential amendments), and none but the government ones were passed
- all opposition parties had SOPs that included the majority policy drivers of harm reduction and the Maori party had all of them
what were the 2012 votes of not raising the minimum purchase age?
what were the changes to the BAC limit (2014)?
- Land transport Amendment Act NO.2
- reduce legal BAC limit from 0.08 to 0.05
how did this happen:
- Lain Lees-Galloway (labour) puts up a private members Bill
- it is drawn from the lottery almost straight away
- labour party work on getting the numbers to pass it
- as soon as it looks like it will succeed, the government announces they have drafted a government bill… introduces it into the house and passes it
what were some of the polotical resistances?
- denial of the nature of the problem - ambivalence about alcohol
- skepticism about effectiveness of policies
- fear of political and popular backlash
- political imagery
- influence on the alcohol industry
