Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

It is clearly not the case that these problems are confined to people who are on welfare or income support. No-one has ever asserted that. The Commonwealth and state governments as well as community groups run a range of programs to try and deal with these serious social issues. I actually think alcohol abuse is a more major problem in our society than most people acknowledge. It is often used to point the blame at young people. I think a lot of young people learn the habit from very mature people. It is not the case that it is restricted to those families. We are trying to use these measures to attack it in that way. We run education programs. We pass legislation. People like Senator Xenophon are focused in on things like gambling. These are problems of society. But income support is one of the ways we seek to support those families— (Time expired)