Advertising for products that cause substantial harm should be required to follow Government-led rules that protect our children, families and broader community.
For over 20 years, the alcohol industry has largely set its own rules for advertising through the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) Scheme. The rules the industry has developed for itself are weak and littered with loopholes.¹ Community complaints are often dismissed, and even when breaches are upheld, there are no consequences.
The result is an environment where our community is inadequately protected from the harm of alcohol advertising, including children and young people who are regularly exposed to messages for harmful products.² This is highly problematic because children’s exposure to alcohol marketing increases their risk of starting drinking at a younger age and more harmful patterns of drinking later in life.³
Last year, Dan Murphy’s parked a mobile billboard near Byron Bay High School encouraging people to “go for a skate while you wait for your Dan Murphy’s order to arrive.”⁴ Even more recently, BoozeBud painted a cartoon mural advertising their alcohol delivery service on the same street as Bondi Public (primary) School, which is passed by hundreds of children daily.⁵ According to the alcohol industry’s scheme, both of these ads weren’t a problem.
Now the alcohol industry who designed this weak oversight scheme is conducting a “review” of their rules in an attempt to quell growing community concern about harmful alcohol advertising.
We, the undersigned, refuse to participate in this process of reviewing a scheme which is inherently flawed. No amount of tinkering with the ABAC, which is designed and run by alcohol lobbyists, will ever put the health and wellbeing of our community above the profits of these multinational corporations.
We need strong Government-led regulation of alcohol marketing in Australia that is independent of the alcohol industry — a comprehensive legislative framework with enforcement measures that effectively stop harmful alcohol marketing. Many community and health organisations have long recognised and advocated for such an approach.
The only role alcohol companies can and should have in the regulation of alcohol marketing is to adhere to Government-led rules developed independent of the alcohol industry to meet community standards.
Sincerely,
Ms Louise Gray
CEO, NOFASD Australia
Dr Erin Lalor
CEO, Alcohol and Drug Foundation
Ms Jane Martin
Co-Chair, National Alliance for Action on Alcohol
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin
CEO, Public Health Association of Australia
Dr Sandro Demaio
CEO, VicHealth (Victorian Health Promotion Foundation)
Dr Gemma Crawford
President, Australian Health Promotion Association
Mr Andy Moore
CEO, Hello Sunday Morning
Ms Caterina Giorgi
CEO, Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education
Professor Simone Pettigrew
Director, Health Promotion and Behaviour Change, The George Institute for Global Health
Professor Jacqueline Bowden
Director, National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction
Mrs Lauren Bais
Partnerships & Campaigns Manager, Parents’ Voice
Mr Michael White
Executive Officer, South Australian Network of Drug and Alcohol Services
Associate Professor Christina Pollard
Director, Public Health Advocacy Institute
Dr Tanya Buchanan
CEO, Cancer Council Australia
Dr Devin Bowles
CEO, Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT
Professor Dan Lubman AM
Director, Monash Addiction Research Centre, Executive Clinical Director, Turning Point
Ms Jill Rundle
CEO, WA Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies
Ms Sandy Lukjanowski
Chief Executive, Injury Matters
Dr Ben Beck
President, Australasian Injury Prevention Network
Mrs Jennifer O’Mullane
CEO, Local Drug Action Groups Inc.
Professor Simon Lenton
Director, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University
Mr Robert Hunt
CEO, Dietitians Australia
Ms Sharon McGowan
CEO, Stroke Foundation
Mr Alan Kirkland
CEO, CHOICE
Ms Jennifer Duncan
CEO, Australian Alcohol and other Drugs Council
Ms Julia Stafford
Alcohol Program Manager, Cancer Council WA
Dr Clare Skinner
President, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine
Dr Michelle I Jongenelis
Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director, Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change
Professor Paul Dietze
Co-Program Director, Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute
Dr James Fitzpatrick PhD, FRACP, MBBD, B.Sc
CEO, Patches Australia & Adjunct Professor, School of Psychological Sciences, University of Western Australia
Professor Elizabeth Handsley FAAL
President, Australian Council on Children and the Media
Professor Nancy Baxter
Head of School, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
Professor Garry Jennings
Group CEO, National Heart Foundation
Dr John Crozier
Chair, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (National Trauma Committee) & Co-Chair, National Alliance for Action on Alcohol
Professor Mark Frydenberg AM
Chair, Health Policy and Advocacy, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Professor Elizabeth Elliott AM FAHMS FRSN
Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health, Univeristy of Sydney
Dr Florentine Martino
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Deakin University, GLOBE
Dr Tina Lam
Research Fellow at the Monash Addiction Research Centre, Adjunct Research Fellow at the National Drug Research Institute
Dr Stewart McDougall
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Fetal Alcohol Advisory Support & Training Team, The University of Edinburgh
Professor Rob Moodie
Professor of Public Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
Dr Belinda Reeve
Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney Law School
Professor Roger Magnusson
Professor of Health Law & Governance, Sydney Law School, The University of Sydney
Associate Professor Nicholas Carah
Director Digital Cultures and Societies Hub, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Queensland
Professor Samantha Thomas
Professor of Public Health, Deakin University
Professor Billie Bonevski
Professor and Lead of Public Health, College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University
Professor James Smith
Deputy Dean, Rural and Remote Health – NT, Matthew Flinders Professor (Health and Social Equity), College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University
Professor Sharon Friel
Director, Menzies Centre for Health Governance, Australian National University
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FARE acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands and waters on which we operate throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and recognise the continuing connection to country of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
©2024 FARE
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FARE acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands and waters on which we operate throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and recognise the continuing connection to country of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
©2024 FARE
Privacy Statement
T&C
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