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

Thank you. I refer you to the communique from the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy. What has occurred is that we have a report that was requested by COAG. We will provide that, we hope, to the June/July meeting of COAG and then it will become a COAG document. We have done the analysis work. It is being driven by COAG and we expect COAG to deal with it at that meeting. It is comprehensive. It goes to prevetting; the membership of ABAC; the adjudication panel being expanded; taking it outside of the current restrictions on media to emerging media, to point of sale and to naming and packaging; and, importantly, and I think you would agree, the potential for meaningful sanctions being applied to breaches of the code. That is the time frame. MCDS has dealt with it and it will now go to COAG.

Your second question was around labelling. You would be aware that COAG asked FSANZ, Food Safety Australia New Zealand, to look at labelling around alcohol. That work is progressing. It will also go to COAG as a part of that package. The ministerial council on food policy has agreed for that to occur as well. But, once again, that is coming to the pointy end of getting that information to COAG.

Your third question was: why won’t the government commit to a pro rata allocation of that $50 million? I refer you to the letter written to you from Minister Roxon dated 17 March. That is our commitment. It still stands. When these measures are passed, that letter and the contents of it will stand. That is the commitment we have given.