For more than two decades, alcohol companies have largely set their own advertising rules through the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) Scheme.
Unsurprisingly, these rules are weak and littered with loopholes. Because they are voluntary, they are consequence-free when breaches occur.
The result is an environment where alcohol companies can relentlessly target harmful marketing advertisements to children, young people, and people with alcohol dependencies without impartial oversight.
Our community deserves better advertising standards when it comes to alcohol products. These standards should be developed and administered by the government and represent the community’s interests, not the interests of alcohol companies.
Read our open letter, signed by 40+ organisations, on ABAC’s review of its inherently flawed scheme.
