MEDIA RELEASE – 2nd May 2011

Government, captured by alcohol corporations, ignores its own scientists

Four of New Zealand’s top public health scientists from the University of Otago’s Department of Preventive & Social Medicine have published a paper in the prestigious scientific journal Drug and Alcohol Review showing how pitiful the National-led government has been in its response to the comprehensive review of the liquor laws completed by the Law Commission.

“When the government is at odds with publically funded scientific experts we should all be very concerned that vested interests have captured the attention of key Ministers of the Crown”, said Professor Doug Sellman, a medical spokesperson for Alcohol Action NZ.

“This is exactly what happened for many years with lobbying from multinational tobacco corporations while thousands of NZers died from tobacco related diseases, and appears to be now occurring very effectively with alcohol”.

“We need John Key, Simon Power, Steven Joyce, Chester Burrows and Simon Bridges, who are guiding the Alcohol Reform Bill process, to remember what the purpose of government is, We need them to stand up to the guile and pressure of alcohol corporations and heed the advice of their own scientists on how to protect ordinary New Zealanders from alcohol harm”.

The recent uncovering of the New Zealand government’s inclusion in a World Trade Organisation bloc that is trying to prevent Thailand from introducing health messages on alcoholic drinks shows precisely where this government is positioned in terms of alcohol.

Multinational alcohol corporations have governments under their thumb and have been highly successful at heading off any effective alcohol law reform to date. Free trade agreements are a key mechanism for this influence. The subtle threats behind the scene must be enormous for the government to cave in to this pressure when an epidemic of 20 alcohol deaths a week and 200 alcohol assaults every day in New Zealand is now so clearly documented.

Three policies these corporations are most concerned about have been revealed from internal industry memos: raising the price of alcohol through increased excise taxes; reducing advertising or sponsorship capability; and reducing the blood alcohol limit for driving. Not surprisingly, these are three key things missing from the current Alcohol Reform Bill, which would have been included if it was a serious alcohol reform bill.

Alcohol Action NZ
www.alcoholaction.co.nz

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