I’ve spent more than 40 years working in commercial television. I was four years old when I got my first acting job.
I have seen first-hand the power television has to reflect society back to us, setting cultural norms and forming cognitive associations that stay with us for a lifetime.
When we connect the things we value most to a product that is one of the leading causes of harm and death, we risk turning our greatest vice into a cultural virtue.
In Australia, where televised sport is a national religion, the link between the game we love and alcohol is deeply engrained.
But last month, a landmark decision has gone a long way to breaking that damaging nexus.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) rejected proposed regulatory changes that would have flooded our TV screens with even more alcohol advertising at times of peak children’s viewing.
Commercial television stations, under the banner of “Free TV Australia”, had put forward changes to the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice allowing up to 800 additional hours for alcohol ads every year, including during weekends, public holidays and school holidays.
The Commercial TV industry also proposed upholding a loophole that means restrictions to protect our kids from exposure to alcohol advertising don’t apply during sports broadcasts.
Proving that community voices have truly been heard, ACMA decided not to register a revised code of practice, recognising it will not adequately protect the community. In further good news, ACMA also said it would revisit restrictions on the alcohol advertising loophole that allows alcohol ads during sports broadcasts.
These decisions represent a significant victory for the grassroots community movement who have fought for years to protect children and families from the saturation of alcohol advertising on our screens.
It comes after a recommendation last year that alcohol advertising be restricted during sporting events in the Australian Government’s Rapid Review on accelerating action to end domestic, family and sexual violence.
Data shows alcohol is involved in between 23% and 65% of all family violence incidents reports to police – a conservative estimate, given many incidents go unreported.
We also know rates of family violence increase around 40 per cent during major sporting events like State of Origin.
As a family violence survivor advocate, I’ve been working with other survivors for many years, and while everyone’s experience is different there are common exacerbating factors. One of the most prevalent is alcohol.
Research shows one in six children have experienced harm from the alcohol use of adults around them, with two-thirds of harm being attributed to an adult in their home.
Children hiding under beds, in closets and bathrooms, hearing furniture thrown, glass shattering, yelling and screaming. These children living in fear in their own homes tonight deserve a sense of urgency.
They don’t have a voice or a choice. But they are the ones being impacted by the deluge of advertising for a product that is directly linked to increased harm.
TV and advertising shape our perspective and mirror our reality. They become part of our national cultural identity.
If I were to say, “A hard earned thirst needs a big cold beer”, you would probably know what the next line is going to be and the product it refers to.
We are living examples of these advertising imprints that occur in childhood. They are etched into our psyche decades after the exposure occurs.
And the research shows the earlier we are exposed to alcohol advertising the more likely we are to go on to drink at risky levels.
Recent data reveals, one in three (32 per cent) children had seen alcohol ads on television in the previous month
Many parents want to see an end to this, with recent polling showing 90 per cent of the community is concerned about the potential for more alcohol ads on television. So many parents and carers wrote to ACMA to raise concerns and it’s heartening to know that the community’s calls for action have finally been heeded.
Television is powerful. During my 20 years on Neighbours, we told stories that galvanised communities.
A long time ago, then executive director of drama at Network 10, Rick Maier said to me: ‘Every day you have the power to make millions of people feel something.’
That has never left me.
At a critical moment, ACMA had great power, and responsibility. In rejecting these proposed changes and kicking alcohol out of kids programming, it sends a strong message that community wellbeing and children’s safety must always come first.
Kym Valentine is a Survivor Advocate, FARE Lived Experience Advisor and an experienced television and theatre actor.
