House debates
Monday, 16 March 2009
Questions without Notice
Alcopops
3:21 pm
Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source
My question is to Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister outline to the House the government’s legislative action on alcopops and any new obstacles to its implementation?
Leonard Matthews
Posted on 17 Mar 2009 11:11 pm
The ALP in their legislation for the Alcopops Tax has ignored the lessons from history regarding the campaign to reduce tobacco addiction and passive smoking health risks. The ALP is simply raising extra revenue without any intent to reduce alcohol addiction. If the rudderless ALP government was genuine on this issue, it would invest all of the revenue raised by the alcopops tax into an educational campaign.
It was only when the Commonwealth used a concerted campaign of tax increase, health warnings and a total ban on cigarette advertising that the tobacco campaign began to succeed. Without this concerted joint effort again on the issue of alcohol addiction there wiil be no success.
For a real answer to this problem, Ms Yvette D'Ath I refer you to my submission to the parliamentary inquiry on the Alcopops Tax.