Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I am concerned about the impact of binge drinking on Australia’s young people, but I am also concerned about the impact of alcohol on our wider society. On 26 April the government announced that it would restore the excise on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages to the spirit levels that previously applied. The government’s decision to lift the excise on RTD products will help tackle binge drinking, as research shows that price is an effective measure in reducing alcohol consumption, especially by young people.

When we look at the opposition’s engagement in this, they are not serious about assisting in how you tackle binge drinking in youth and how you ensure that the youth of today will not suffer health problems in later years. What the opposition is concerned about seems to be a mile away from where the young people are at now. The strategy that the Rudd government has announced will provide assistance not only at the community level but also at the advertisement level to ensure that they would— (Time expired)