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

I thank Senator Fielding for the question. Of course, he is right when he says that the alcopops consumption in any given week is such that approximately one in 10 of 12- to 17-year-olds are binge drinking or drinking at risky levels. Those are the facts about it. Binge drinking is a problem in the community and the fact is that alcopops are a problem. The alcopops industry received a tax break from the Liberals. The distillers’ own figures show that sales have increased by over 250 per cent since the Liberals created the loophole. Then look at what Mr Turnbull says about it:

This is a money-raising exercise, it is not going to stop young people drinking …

What Mr Turnbull has not considered—he has not thought about it—is what he is going to do about it.

Looking at the third parties supporting the alcopops measure, an independent report—commissioned by the Howard government—by David Collins and Helen Lapsley, The avoidable costs of alcohol abuse in Australia and the potential benefits of effective policies to reduce the social costs of alcohol, found:

There would appear to be strong justification for the April 2008 increase in the Australian tax on pre-mixed drinks …