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NEW ZEALAND DRUG FOUNDATION
13 May 2009

The New Zealand Drug Foundation has endorsed the Law Commission's call to all political parties to end their practice of conscience voting on alcohol law.

The Law Commission's suggestion to end conscience voting on liquor legislation was made in its first report on the Review of Regulatory Framework for the Sale and Supply of Liquor, tabled in Parliament today.

"The Law Commission has correctly identified the problems that conscience voting can create when developing effective alcohol law. We have too often seen moral and commercial imperatives impede the passage of good liquor laws. The debate about the minimum purchase age being the most recent example," said Drug Foundation Executive Director Ross Bell.

"It's time Parliament broke its conscience vote tradition, which is a throwback to the times when law makers sided with either the temperance movement or with the beer barons," said Mr Bell.

The Law Commission report concludes that removing conscience votes would encourage parties to have clearly defined alcohol policies for voters to consider, while facilitating greater policy accountability to the electorate, and would remove unpredictability in making effective alcohol law.

"Conscience voting can produce laws that are unclear and ineffective. All sorts of changes can be made to a Bill when a conscience vote is held because the House is in a state of free-for-all," said Law Commission President, Sir Geoffrey Palmer. "Alcohol laws are simply too important to subject them to the vagaries of the conscience vote. Standard party-based voting will produce laws that are more consistent and durable."

The Law Commission report found widespread support for the end to alcohol law conscience voting, including from the Police:

"Police's view is that, for the full benefit of any legislative changes to be realised, they need to be adopted as Government policy. The tradition of addressing alcohol-related legislation as a matter of individual choice is not conducive to delivering a comprehensive and cohesive legislative framework."

The Drug Foundation has invited all political parties to declare whether they will agree to the Commission's suggestion.

"It's a big year for alcohol legislation - the Law Commission review is likely to suggest significant changes to the current Sale of Liquor Act, while Parliament is currently considering a bill on the sale of liquor and enforcement of the Act. Because of this we urge those parties that currently use conscience voting to develop sensible and evidence-based responses to any proposed change, and to be clear to the public what their party positions are.

ENDS

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