War On Alcohol A Failure

[icyfroth]

THE state government is handing out a record number of liquor licences, yet there are more police fighting the war on alcohol than there are troops left fighting the war on terror in Afghanistan.   

that's a pretty sobering statistic!

The Police Association also made a submission to the Liquor Act review that asked the government to put in a maximum closing time of 3am and 1am lockouts for every hotel across the state, and to trial the Newcastle model in every pub in NSW.

● THE government is refusing to trial the Newcastle solution of lockouts and earlier closing times, despite strong warnings from the Police Association and the Australian Medical Association - and the fact these measures resulted in a 37 per cent fall in violent assaults;

The government has, to date, steadfastly refused to act. But Hospitality Minister George Souris said the government would consider all of the 91 recommendations in the Liquor Act review, and would provide a response next month.

AMA NSW head Brian Owler said in the submission  there was no excuse for not trialling the Newcastle solution on a statewide level, given the big drop in assaults.

"This is a staggering figure. If a new medical treatment were shown to reduce harm by more than 35 per cent, it would be adopted as best practice,'' Dr Owler said,

The government has, to date, steadfastly refused to act. But Hospitality Minister George Souris said the government would consider all of the 91 recommendations in the Liquor Act review, and would provide a response next month.

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Wonder who's keeping Mr. Souris in beer and skittles?

[icyfroth]

The hotel industry has accused the NSW premier of bowing to pressure on the drunk violence issue and telling 'furphies'.

Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation president Alex Wodak has accused the NSW Government of repeating lines fed to it by the Australian Hotels Association (AHA).

This follows growing pressure on the government to crack down on alcohol-related violence, including trading restrictions.

Dr Wodak told ABC Radio that Premier Barry O'Farrell used a line from the AHA that drugs like steroids were contributing to the violence.

'This is just a furphy, another red herring that the Premier is using to get him out of a hot spot,' he said on Friday.

'I think it is time he faced up to the fact what he is advocating is not evidence-based proposals.

'They are sound-bites that sound good that have been no doubt been focus tested by the AHA.'

Dr Wodak also rejected statements from the Premier that assaults had declined.

Dr Wodak said we needed to be very careful about rejecting or accepting statistics that differed to reports from emergency crews.

'What has happened is absolutely shocking,' he told ABC Radio.

'One tragedy after another with these king hits.

'So maybe minor assaults are down but certainly that is not true with the major assaults.

'Something funny is going on and I have really found it offensive that the Premier of this state is singing from the AHA song sheet.'

From Here

Our governments are so under the thumb of the Big Money people like the AHA.

[i-need-a-martini]

I really think the hotel industry is under fire unfairly.

The drunks on our streets aren't getting drunk in hotels. They are getting drunk at home and then hitting the city looking for action.

The Thomas Kelly incident is a good example. His killer never went near a pub that night - he bought a case of vodka mixers and drank at home for 2 hours before heading into the city.

The hotels do all that they can to prevent getting alcohol to drunks. PreChristmas I was out quite a bit and I saw the hotel bouncers turn away a lot of drunks. Sadly that leaves them with nothing to do but roam the streets but that is hardly a pubs fault.

A smart education campaign is the only answer.

[the_hawk*]

as with all these wars on issues they are all an epic fail

what we now need is a war on wages so workers can get a fair deal

and a war on industry and manufacturing so it can flourish in this once great land

[the_hawk*]

as with all these wars on issues they are all an epic fail

what we now need is a war on wages so workers can get a fair deal

and a war on industry and manufacturing so it can flourish in this once great land

[crystal**flake]

Clubs ect should be closed by the latest 1pm and anyone acting drunk should cope a fine, there should be some sort of limit like there is with driving. 

Martini is right too, young people are getting drunk before they leave the house.

[*mrgrizz*]

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@crystal**flake wrote:

Clubs ect should be closed by the latest 1pm and anyone acting drunk should cope a fine, there should be some sort of limit like there is with driving. 

Martini is right too, young people are getting drunk before they leave the house.

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i remember when i was young heaps of people used to ACT drunk(mainly girls) why would you fine them for acting?

what about the ones who are actually drunk?

[icyfroth]

Fair enough comment, Martini, but if licensed venues weren't open til the early hours of the morning, if they closed at, say midnight, there'd be less time to get drunk before they leave home, and less opportunity to try entry into said venues if they closed earlier.

There'd be less half-bleeped people milling about in the early hours of the morning to pick fights with, too.

A smart education program would be great, but how do you educate stupid?

[azureline**]

New Years Eve was a prime example of the culture of alcohol drinking at home. Emergency services here were under stress with calls to homes where whole families were drunk, children as young as 10yo included, where violence had broken out.

[*mrgrizz*]

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@icyfroth wrote:

Fair enough comment, Martini, but if licensed venues weren't open til the early hours of the morning, if they closed at, say midnight, there'd be less time to get drunk before they leave home, and less opportunity to try entry into said venues if they closed earlier.

There'd be less half-bleeped people milling about in the early hours of the morning to pick fights with, too.

A smart education program would be great, but how do you educate stupid?

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how do you educate stupid?

stocks in the city centre, with big barrel's of rotting fruit