A new survey has found almost all Australians (90 per cent) are concerned by a commercial television industry proposal that could allow 800 hours of additional alcohol ads on TV each year1.
The Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, overseen by the commercial television stations under the banner of “Free TV”, is proposing to extend alcohol advertising on weekends, public holidays and during school holidays.
FARE CEO Caterina Giorgi said, “It’s clear the community is deeply concerned about the commercial television stations’ proposal to change the Code.
“The proposal not only fails to prioritise our communities’ health and wellbeing, but it fails to meet community expectations.”
The survey also found most Australians surveyed (82 per cent) were concerned to some degree with alcohol being advertised during sports.
“We know women and children are at higher risk of experiencing violence during sports broadcasts and on public holidays, so we should be closing the loopholes which put our community at risk of harm, not bombarding people with even more advertising.
“We also know that significantly increasing children’s exposure to alcohol marketing is linked to young people drinking at earlier ages and riskier levels.
“When governments allow corporations to set their own rules, they will always prioritise their profits ahead of the health, safety and wellbeing of our families and communities.”
In November, several community and health organisations and advocates submitted objections to Free TV about the proposed new Code, citing concerns about the increased risk of harm to women and children.
Free TV’s proposal to increase alcohol advertising comes after the Rapid Review panel tasked by the Australian Government to advise on prevention approaches to end gender-based violence recommended that:
“Given the statistical increase in domestic, family and sexual violence incidents during football grand finals, as well as the high number of children who watch sport on television and mobile apps, the Review recommends that alcohol advertising be restricted during sporting events”.
Ms Giorgi called on the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to step in to stop the proposed changes and ensure families and communities health and wellbeing is prioritised.
“The role of the independent regulator is to put the interests of the community first. ACMA has already acknowledged community concern about alcohol advertising and should be doing everything in its power to ensure this explosion of alcohol advertisements at times when children are likely watching, cannot go ahead.”
- FARE commissioned Pureprofile to conduct polling of Australians to understand their intentions to change the amount of alcohol they drink and the motivations for doing so. The polling was conducted online in November 2024. The sample comprised 1,005 people aged 18 years and over, residing in Australia. The sample is nationally representative for age, gender and location. ↩︎
