Category: alcohol


Curbing alcohol-fuelled violence

Filed under: alcohol, NSW politics, violence — 1 Comment
January 28, 2011

The NSW Council of Churches has backed a call by the President of the Police Association of NSW, Mr Scott Weber, for tighter restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol.

Council President Rev Richard Quadrio said the churches strongly supported the Police Association’s Last Drinks campaign which sought to tackle the problem of alcohol-related violence by convincing NSW political leaders to bring in measures such as earlier closing times, lock-outs and restrictions on the sale of high-alcohol content drinks late at night.

Rev Quadrio said police officers, doctors, nurses and ambulance officers were sick of dealing with the effects of alcohol-related violence.  Brutal attacks on emergency services workers by drunken thugs are not what we expect or condone in our suburbs or in our city centres.

The NSW Council of Churches has urged both major political parties to announce new policies to address alcohol-fuelled violence.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 30 Jan 2011.

Comment

Preparing for Schoolies Week

Filed under: alcohol, parenting — Leave a comment
November 19, 2010

By Rod Benson

It’s longer than I care to admit since my Schoolies Week, but every year teenagers go through that same rite of passage marking the end of all those school years, and the beginning of the rest of their lives.

It’s a very special time, and they deserve the chance to kick back, celebrate, and savour the moment with their mates.  But of course there are the dangers of peer pressure, unprecedented freedom, and the hard drinking that so often accompanies hard partying.

And the news is not good: research just released by the DrinkWise organisation indicates that young people are feeling increasing pressure to drink alcohol, and to drink to excess, even when they don’t want to, in order to fit in with their friends.

It’s a familiar pattern, but tougher regulations and higher taxes on alcoholic drinks can only go so far in moderating behaviour.  The best solution is not state intervention but the positive role model of parents, talking things through with teenage children, coaching them to make good decisions in tough situations.  And that starts a long time before the countdown to Schoolies Week.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 21 November 2010.

Comment

Tougher alcohol restrictions?

Filed under: alcohol, NSW politics — Leave a comment
September 18, 2010

By Rod Benson

A new study by researchers at the University of Newcastle and the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics has found that the winding back of pub closing times in central Newcastle has reduced the night-time assault rate by 37 per cent.

This is great news for the community, and has led to calls for tougher alcohol restrictions across the state – calls supported by the NSW Council of Churches, emergency services workers, and others.

But of course, the hotel industry has reacted, arguing that the Newcastle trial has led to business failure, increased unemployment, and higher use of drugs other than alcohol.

What works in Newcastle will not necessarily deliver the same results in Kings Cross or Moree, but when 90 per cent of serious assaults treated at John Hunter Hospital are alcohol-related, and a curfew results in a 37 per cent drop in assaults, expanding the trial to other locations must be considered.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 19 September 2010.  Image: http://bit.ly/b3Ppax

Comment

Addressing alcohol abuse in NSW

Filed under: alcohol, health, NSW politics — Leave a comment
April 9, 2010

For some months the state government has been trialling a crackdown on the sale of alcohol at Newcastle hotels. Restrictions include a 10.00 pm cut-off for strong drinks, a prohibition on the sale of more than four drinks to any patron at one time, a 1.00 am lockout, a ban on liquor sales 30 minutes before closing, and a closing time of 3.00 am.

The results are impressive, such as a 29 per cent drop in reported assaults after dark.  And who knows how many instances of domestic violence and other issues have declined as a result of more responsible drinking habits?

The Australian Medical Association, the NSW Police Association, the Nurses Association and the Health Services Union have now called for the restrictions to be rolled out across the state. 

The NSW Council of Churches strongly supports this move, and urges the government and the liquor industry to act in the community’s best interests.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 11 April 2010.

Comment

Alcohol and driving don’t mix

Filed under: alcohol, teens — Leave a comment
March 12, 2010

If you were the parent of a teenager learning to drive, and your son or daughter took the “Slow Down Pledge,” vowing they would not drive over the speed limit, or get into a car with a speeding driver, you’d be pleased.

But how did the Roads and Traffic Authority reward 150 of those young people who signed the pledge?  By inviting them to a Twenty/20 cricket match, and plying them with free food and alcohol.

Yes, it’s good to reward people, especially young drivers, who take road safety seriously.  But not with free alcohol at taxpayer expense. The RTA should have thought more carefully about the message its action would send to the young drivers, and their friends, and the wider community.

And I’m sure the families and friends of young people killed and injured in alcohol-related road crashes will not think well of the RTA. Alcohol and driving don’t mix.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 14 March 2010.

Comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.