Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for the comments that she has made in response to some of the questions that I posed, but I ask the minister the following questions. Has the reduction of alcopop sales resulted in a lowering of binge drinking? If so, where is the evidence to support that? Does the government suggest that the reduction in sales of alcopops has only been to that part of the market which includes young people—say, under the age of 21—or does the minister accept that a large drop in the sales of alcopops has been to an older demographic? I also re-put to the minister the question in relation to consumption patterns. I ask the minister the following question. Sales levels do not equal consumption patterns and, in particular, high-risk consumption patterns. Since the last National Drug Strategy Household Survey in 2007, have there been any other studies by the government, by the minister’s department or by any third party that she is aware of into the levels of high-risk alcohol consumption by certain groups of Australians? If the government had to return the money that has already been collected—on the advice that the minister has given to the House—how, practically, would that money be returned to consumers? What advice has the minister received about how that money would be distributed otherwise?

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