Jim Turnour (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister update the House on any new findings on alcohol and on the progress of the government’s National Binge Drinking Strategy community grants?

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question. His community, particularly in Cairns, has been taking very active action in tackling alcohol abuse in the community, including the Just Think campaign. Of course as a national government we are determined to tackle the problems that exist in our community associated with alcohol abuse. Interestingly, figures that were released yesterday by the Salvation Army, based on a Roy Morgan poll which they had organised, found that more than one Australian in every eight have experience of children in their family being frightened or embarrassed by relatives’ drinking habits. It goes up to one in five Australians who know of verbal arguments or threats within their family due to alcohol, and sadly for 11 per cent those confrontations have been physical.

Members would be aware that there are plenty of other shocking statistics that show trends that we must be worried about in this parliament. On alcohol consumption in any given week, approximately one in 10 12- to 17-year-olds is binge drinking or drinking at a risky level. Binge drinking leads to violence. Last year more than three-quarters of a million Australians were physically abused by persons under the influence of alcohol. Members would be aware that on this side of the House we have acted to close the tax loophole created by those opposite on alcopops. We have also announced that $53 million is being targeted to an immediate binge drinking strategy. As yet we have not had any indication from those opposite about whether they support our binge drinking strategy.

Members would also be aware that at the end of June the Rudd government opened applications for community groups to apply for funds to develop effective and sustainable partnerships to combat binge drinking. We believe governments have a role to play and we believe communities have a role to play. We would like the Liberal Party to tell us whether they are going to support these sorts of community level initiatives. A sum of $7.2 million has been made available for these community level initiatives for organisations such as sporting clubs, youth groups, church organisations and others. It is possible to obtain up to $150,000 for individual groups or $250,000 for groups in partnerships, who are able to bid for this money for innovative projects aimed at preventing or reducing binge drinking, particularly for young people. People might be interested to know in this House that 293 organisations have applied for funding at the time that applications closed.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hunt interjecting

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is clear that yet again the member for Flinders is not interested in community level initiatives to oppose binge drinking in his community—yet again determined not to be part of the solution.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order: I take offence at that statement from somebody who closed a hospital on Phillip Island.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will continue.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to hear that from the member for Flinders, although the rest of the Liberal Party have not yet indicated whether they will support these community level initiatives that are part of the government’s binge drinking campaign. Of course those 293 applications still need to be appropriately assessed. But what we would like to know, given that the Liberal Party have been so opposed at every step of the way to any action that we want to take to reduce harmful drinking in our community, is whether the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and member for Curtin will be supporting the six applications that have been received from her electorate. Will the member for Warringah support the five applications that have been submitted from his electorate? Perhaps the new member for Gippsland will be interested to know about and will perhaps advocate for the four applications received from his electorate. We have received five applications from the member for Murray’s electorate. In South Australia, the member for Grey will be able to tell the eight organisations in his electorate whether or not he supports these sorts of funding programs from the government. The Liberal and National parties have to indicate to their electorates and to this parliament whether they are going to do anything and take any action to tackle excessive alcohol consumption in our electorates. What role are the opposition going to play in being part of the solution to this community-wide problem? We in the government are determined to tackle this issue. We have a growing list of supporters in the community, in health services, in hospitals and in the police who are backing our action. Are the opposition going to?