Fed: Alcohol abuse to be tackled at 2020 summit

AAP General News (Australia)
04-15-2008
Fed: Alcohol abuse to be tackled at 2020 summit

EDS: TAKES IN KE ALCOHOL



By Maria Hawthorne and Katelyn John

CANBERRA, April 15 AAP - Tough proposals to tackle the "national contagion" of alcohol
abuse will be debated at this weekend's Australia 2020 summit, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
says.

The promise came after the parents of a man killed in a late night fight pleaded with
Mr Rudd to stamp out the escalating incidence of alcohol-related violence.

Shannon McCormack died days after being king-hit from behind while trying to separate
two fighting youths in central Melbourne last May.

Bill and Cheryl McCormack, speaking at the Sydney launch of the National Alliance Against
Alcohol Related Violence, said they had lived every parent's worst nightmare.

"I'm pleading with the prime minister, Mr Rudd ... how many more of our young Australians
have to die and end up in the intensive care unit in our hospitals maimed and clinging
to life before our government takes a stand and says `enough is enough'?" a teary Mrs
McCormack said.

More than 25 drug and alcohol organisations have banded together to form the alliance,
which is calling for reform of the alcohol taxation system and a review of alcohol's place
under the national competition policy.

It also calls for state governments to reduce the number of venues and their opening hours.

The alliance has put its views in a submission to the 2020 summit, a two-day gathering
in Canberra's Parliament House of 1,000 of the nation's best and brightest.

Mr Rudd would not be drawn on the specific proposals, saying he had not read the submission yet.

But he promised all ideas would be considered.

"At this stage we don't rule anything out," he told reporters.

"This is a major national contagion and we need to act as decisively as we can.

"It's time as a nation and as a community we decided to turn the corner on this because
I think in many parts of the country, most parents would agree, it's getting out of hand."

The issue would be debated at the summit because it was a major issue of community
wellbeing and safety, he said.

"Our responsibility is to debate properly all options which conceivably will work in
turning this around," Mr Rudd said.

A Roy Morgan telephone poll of 694 people over the past seven days showed almost one
in five or 3.1 million Australians had endured alcohol-related violence or knew a friend
or relative who had.

The research showed more than 10 million people were concerned about violence when
visiting licensed premises or entertainment districts after dark, and 14.5 million believed
there was a direct link between binge drinking and an increase in violence.

Overall, the poll results showed 14 million Australians had concerns about alcohol-related
violence, and 10 million were more concerned now than three years ago.

Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation chief executive Daryl Smeaton said
state and federal governments should act to stop the unacceptable "carnage" brought on
by drinking.

"We need to remove alcohol from the national competition policy," he said.

"Alcohol is not like eggs or milk or white goods. It's actually a drug, and when it
is misused it's the most dangerous drug in our community."

AAP mfh/sb/apm/jlw

KEYWORD: SUMMIT NIGHTLEAD

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.