Greens call for ban on booze ads

The Green Party is calling for a complete ban on alcohol brand advertising on TV and radio.

"The booze barons know advertising works and they are deliberately targeting under-age drinkers with their lifestyle ads," Rod Donald said today.

"Teenagers between 14 and 17 drink $140 million worth of alcohol per year. Now, the liquor giants want to expose even more young people to the message that drinking is cool, by seeking to run their ads earlier in the evening.

"We are utterly opposed to that and instead want the ban on alcohol advertising reinstated." The brand-ban is included in the Green submission to the Advertising Standards Authority review of liquor advertising. The Party wants the ads replaced by messages promoting the responsible use of alcohol.

"We are not out to stop people having a drink," said Rod Donald, "but this country has developed a culture of youth binge drinking that has to be addressed.

"The upsurge in underage drinking has more to do with the aggressive marketing of alcohol on TV and radio and the widespread liquor company sponsorship of sports teams, in particular, than lowering the drinking age to 18.

"The Greens want to reduce the harmful effects of all drugs. That doesn't mean prohibition for the over-18s or raising the drinking age, but it does mean promoting moderation.

"Everyone now accepts that banning tobacco advertising has been massively successful," said Rod Donald. "Let's learn the lesson and bring back the ban on booze ads."

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