MEDIA RELEASE
EMBARGOED UNTIL TOMORROW 2 January 2012

Family First NZ has released its annual list of the top family issues to be tackled, and heading the list for 2012 is turning back NZ’s liberalised alcohol laws.

“So many of New Zealand’s social problems have been fuelled by our binge drinking culture - domestic violence, child abuse, under-age alcohol abuse, public drunkenness, road accidents, and the associated massive health and crime costs,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“The binge drinking culture has been spiralling out of control as we have liberalised laws and controls around alcohol abuse. In 1989 alcohol law changes eased restrictions for off-licence selling including supermarket and grocery stores selling, and availability increased as trading hours of on-licence venues were extended. In 1999 we foolishly lowered the drinking age, allowed the sale of beer in supermarkets and further increased trading hours.”

“In response, politicians have proposed to tackle the festering sore of alcohol harm with a tickle, and in the process ignored the overwhelming voice of NZ’ers and groups representing families and communities who made key recommendations to the Law Commission, and even a report from the Prime Minister's chief science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman who said raising the drinking age to 21 and increasing alcohol prices would be two of the most effective ways to address youth drinking problems,” says Mr McCoskrie.

“The split drinking age proposal sends a mixed message and also ignores the growing body of medical evidence regarding the harms of alcohol to teenagers and young people. NZ’ers overwhelmingly want the age increased and parents want legal backing and enforcement – not more responsibility to try and counter the prevailing culture of excessive drinking.”

“Polls over the last couple of years have shown that 2/3’rds or more of NZ’ers want the drinking age raised to at least 20, instant fines for public drunkenness, on-license premises to close by 2am, and the legal blood-alcohol limit lowered to 50. These opinions have been ignored. The government says they are listening – the question is to who?”

Also in the list is a call to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the real causes of child abuse.

“The just-released Ministerial Inquiry into the abuse of a nine year old girl contains clear evidence that the solutions to our horrific child abuse rates lie far deeper than simply providing multiple government funded agencies at the bottom of the cliff. It’s essential that we identify the root causes of family dysfunction and violence. It’s also essential that we remove political posturing and point-scoring from the process. The response of opposition political parties to the Green Paper on abuse proves this.”

“Since the passing of the anti-smacking law in 2007, there has been a continual stream of child abuse cases, the rate of child abuse deaths has continued at the same rate as before, and resources have been diverted to chasing parents who use a smack, rather than targeting rotten parents with clear evidence of abuse and issues of family breakdown and dysfunction, drug and alcohol abuse issues, poverty and stress, and mental illness,” says Mr McCoskrie.

“We have had Commission of Inquiries into the Pike river tragedy, the collapse of buildings and consequent loss of life in the Christchurch earthquake, and previous inquiries into police conduct (2004), genetic modification (2000–2001), and Auckland governance (2007-2009) – yet no inquiry into one of the greatest social problems facing the country. The issue of child abuse deserves a high priority total focus which a Commission would give,” says Mr McCoskrie.

ENDS

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