Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

in the period May 2008—keep listening—to January 2009 compared with the same period the year before. In contrast, solid growth was recorded for this period in each of the previous three years—very important figures coming up, Senator Fifield—6.6 per cent in 2005-06; two per cent in 2006-07; and 2.7 per cent in 2007-08. Once again, the figures support the position that the government is taking—this tax is working. The ATO said:

Excise clearance data does not include wine. Wine is not subject to excise duty, and similar volume data therefore is not available from the WET tax regime. However, it is noted that a recent article in the Medical Journal of Australia reported that the consumption of standard drinks in the form of wine in the period May to July 2008 fell by 2.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2007. This contributed to a fall in total standard drinks consumed in this period compared to the same period in 2007.

The Senate needs to remember that this is not the only thing that our government is doing to reduce binge drinking. Back in March last year we announced the National Binge Drinking Strategy, a strategy that has several parts. We are working with individuals through an early intervention program; we are working with local communities through the Good Sports program and through the community level initiatives; and we are talking to the whole community through the ‘Don’t turn a night out into a nightmare’ advertising campaign. But that is not all.