NSW: Alcohol's a problem but what's the solution?
By Joe Hildebrand
SYDNEY, Aug 26 AAP - It was conceived as a vehicle to solve the problems caused byalcohol but at the end of the day delegates at the NSW Summit on Alcohol Abuse were unitedonly by their agreement on how big the issue is.
The 240 attendees included alcoholics, drink-driving victims, hoteliers, politicians,police officers and doctors.
The range of measures proposed were as varied as the delegates themselves: a ban onalcohol sponsorship of sport, compulsory breathalysers in pubs, better trained bouncers,more police and shorter opening hours for licensed premises.
Opposition Leader John Brogden even called for a 10pm curfew for children up to 14 years old.
But he, Premier Bob Carr and Police Commissioner Ken Moroney were all quick to acknowledgethat alcohol was an intrinsic part of Australian life.
"We're talking about something that is a part of our culture here," Mr Carr told delegates,warning that the whole of society may have to change in order to eliminate alcohol abuse.
"Are we willing to adjust our mores, our way of life, to explore better means of managingalcohol?"
Among the most aggressive platforms was that put by Mr Moroney.
He backed calls from the Police Association for a ban on alcohol advertising at sportingevents and announced a new program to crack down on incompetent bouncers.
Asked whether door staff at pubs and clubs were doing their job properly, Mr Moroneywas blunt: "No, not generally."
Bouncers' performances will now be assessed against national competency standards andnew regulations may be enforced to bring them up to scratch.
Mr Moroney also led a push for an end to 24-hour service of alcohol.
"There is a clear body of evidence ... that 24 hour trading is one of the major causalfactors of crime, in particular assaults, domestic violence and anti-social behaviouron the streets," he said.
This was a subject also raised by National Drug Research Institute director Tim Stockwell.
While not advocating a reversion to the 11 o'clock close or the six o'clock swill,Professor Stockwell said it might well be time to re-evaluate pubs and bars' opening times.
"Surely we can have a flexible approach," he told the summit.
But the Australian Hotels Association's John Thorpe said the problems were in partbecause of a lack of infrastructure to support 24-hour trading.
"We haven't got the transport and we certainly haven't got the police," he said.
Linda Burney, the first Aboriginal woman to sit in an Australian parliament, presentedthe resolutions of yesterday's forum on alcoholism within Indigenous communities.
Don't apply white solutions to black problems appeared to be the predominant message.
Youth binge drinking was also a major focal point, although adults shouldered a fairamount of the blame for that.
Mr Brogden's curfew proposal had cold water poured on it by Mr Moroney who said previousexperience suggested curfews were ineffective.
Meanwhile, Democrats MLC Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, who had been pushing for a tobaccosummit, today produced a list of Carr government legislation easing alcohol restrictions.
Ironically these were introduced by Special Minister of State John Della Bosca, underwhose auspices the four-day alcohol summit is now sitting.
The forum will continue until Friday.
AAP jh/nf/drp/de
KEYWORD: ALCOHOL NIGHTLEAD
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