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 Meri kirihimete!
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So much has happened since our last e-news in September –
this issue is lengthy, but makes an amazing stocking filler!
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ALCOHOL LEGISLATION TURNS 5 TODAY
Happy 5th Birthday to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Over these five years, we have witnessed continuous increases in hazardous drinking, particularly among those aged 35-54 years, Māori women, and European men and women. Among some groups, the prevalence of hazardous drinking is higher than pre-recession times (2005/06). Sadly, last month’s release of the 2016/17 data shows no sign of positive changes in our drinking patterns. As such, communities and taxpayers continue to shoulder the burden of high levels of alcohol-related harm.
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IMPROVED HEALTH AND WELFARE WILL FLOW FROM REDUCTIONS IN DRINKING
Last Friday, the New Zealand Medical Journal published a superbly written editorial by Professor Jennie Connor highlighting the clear synergies between New Zealand’s health and welfare needs and our country’s pathological relationship with alcohol. The editorial is timely as the new Government propels into action to address many of the consequences of our problematic drinking culture, namely child poverty, poor mental health (including suicide) and growing health care costs. |
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On November 15, we were thrilled to hear of the UK Supreme Court’s decision allowing the Scottish Government to implement its Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) legislation. Estimates suggest that in the 5-year legal battle to set a floor price of alcohol hundreds of deaths and thousands of alcohol-related admissions could have been averted. Scottish Ministers are currently calling for submissions about the preferred price of 50p per unit (8g) of alcohol. A MUP policy is also on the agenda of governments in Wales, Ireland and Western Australia.
Back home, in 2014, the Ministry of Justice found that 72% of all spirits and 39% of all wine sold from off-licences costs less than $1.20 per standard drink. Today, cask wine is sold for as little as 74c per standard drink and you can buy a 1L bottle of spirits (with 29 standard drinks) for less than $27. To reduce inequities in alcohol harm in New Zealand, it is likely that we need a combination of excise tax increases as well as a MUP policy. Read our media release here. |
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The 2018 Budget Policy Statement was released last Thursday. The Finance and Expenditure Committee is scheduled to meet this Wednesday and will consider calling for submissions and setting a deadline. In previous years, submissions have closed at the end of January.
The budget focuses on ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are received by all. As such, families are at the centre of the policy. To support the Budget priorities and complement the upcoming Ministerial Inquiry into mental health, Alcohol Healthwatch will be recommending that Section 79 of the Customs and Excise Act 1996 be amended to allow alcohol excise rates to be increased beyond inflation. Increases in alcohol excise taxes have been shown to reduce suicide rates and are estimated to have a net annual societal benefit of approximately $300+ million (of which almost $100m are averted health care costs). These cost savings could go a long way towards helping families in need. Feel free to contact us for more information.
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In October, we were excited to host Vinny DeMarco, a long-time public health advocate who shared with us his victories in enabling a substantial alcohol tax increase (with revenues dedicated to public health purposes) in the US state of Maryland. Vinny is President of the Maryland Citizen's Health Initiative which has also had successes in enabling increases in tobacco taxes, tighter gun control laws, and whilst on the plane to Auckland Vinny received news that his Coalition’s advocacy efforts had made significant progress in relation to a pharmaceutical price gouging law.
His presentation “Transforming political will for public health into political power: how Marylanders beat the alcohol lobby and raised alcohol taxes” can be viewed on our (new) website here. |
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Among all the drugs of abuse (e.g. marijuana, heroin, cocaine, etc.), alcohol produces, by far, the most serious neuro-behavioural effects in the fetus. Protecting future generations from prenatal brain damage caused by the most widely available and commonly consumed drug is urgent.
In 2009, Australian and New Zealand food regulation ministers commissioned an independent panel to review food labelling law and policy. The panel, chaired by a former Australian Minister of Health, recommended mandatory labelling regarding the risks of consuming alcohol while pregnant. The Panel could not justify the lack of information on this important matter at point of sale.
Here we are in 2017 and the battle continues for Government-mandated alcohol and pregnancy warning labels, despite strong public support. Instead, the liquor industry has been permitted to voluntarily add a range of untested health messages to their products.
Last month, the Ministerial Forum for Food Regulation met in Melbourne, where Ministers from here and Australia discussed (once again) the way forward on the matter. Hopes for a mandated public health warning were dashed yet again, with a decision to roll out another taxpayer-funded round of public consultation on options. We will share the details on the next round of public consultation as soon as these become available. |
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The biennial conference, for the first time held in the Southern Hemisphere, was themed “Mobilising for Change”. Dr Nicki Jackson, Executive Director of Alcohol Healthwatch, felt the need to immediately put pen to paper to reflect on her first GAPC attendance – to highlight the need to ensure equity remains a focus in our alcohol harm reduction work. You can read the article here.
We felt privileged to attend this special event and relished the opportunities to talk to leaders in the field of alcohol policy. A selection of presentations are available here. |
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The American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) has finally published a statement calling attention to the increased risk of some cancers among people who drink alcohol.
Alcohol consumption (even at low levels) has been shown to be causally associated with cancers of the throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, breast, colon and rectum. In New Zealand, it has been estimated that cancers account for 30% of all deaths due to alcohol. Among women, cancers account for 44% of deaths from alcohol (breast cancer deaths are the leading cause of alcohol-related death in NZ women). Read more in the New York Times or the Journal of Clinical Oncology. |
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Auckland Council have since amended its Provisional LAP to introduce a 7am (rather than 9am) off-licence opening hour. Because the off-licence opening and closing hour was one policy element, Foodstuffs North Island and Progressive Enterprises have lodged appeals to the 9pm closing. In the 4-week public hearing this year, the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority made the following statement regarding the 9pm closing:
- [146] Given the level of alcohol-related harm in Auckland, the Authority does not consider that it has been established that the closing hour restriction is unreasonable in light of the object of the Act.
We hope that these appeals will not delay the adoption of Auckland Council’s LAP and consequently cost lives. A number of Judicial Reviews have also been lodged by appellants to the High Court.
Palmerston North City Council heard oral submissions on their Draft LAP, but have since put the policy on hold after discovering a number of premises held licences with trading hours that deviated from that permitted under the District Plan. The Council will move to amend the District Plan to remove the point of conflict, and leave regulation of trading hours to the LAP. It is expected that amending the District Plan will take 6-8 months, after which development of the LAP can resume.
Ruapehu District Council made amendments to their Adopted LAP to both extend and restrict alcohol availability in their district. Oral submissions have been heard.
Christchurch City Council opted to abort the Amended Provisional LAP after spending more than $1million on its development and appeals. It will commence the process again with preparing a Draft LAP.
Far North District Council voted down a proposal to abort the Provisional LAP, with an ARLA hearing taking place 13-15 December 2017.
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Last year Alcohol Healthwatch published the report: A Review of Territorial Authority Progress Towards Local Alcohol Policy Development. The report detailed the status of LAP development across the 67 Councils in New Zealand.
Due to the popularity of this report, an update has been prepared. Although it is now five years since implementation of our new alcohol laws, many Councils are still held up in the appeals process. The majority that have made it through the appeals process have ended up with (mostly) watered down policies which will likely struggle to minimise the high levels of alcohol harm in their districts.
We hope to have the report available on our website by the end of the week. Email us to receive a hard copy in the post. |
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Tackling Big Booze: Price, Promotion, Primary Care and Politics
Alcohol Healthwatch is honoured to co-convene the above summer school workshop at the University of Otago, Wellington, on Wednesday 21 February 2018.
Price, marketing, primary care and politics will be explored and workshopped with leading national and international experts, with recent successes shared by Scottish expert, Alison Douglas. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on action in their own spheres of influence. While the focus will be on the Aotearoa New Zealand context, discussion will be situated both regionally and globally. For more information and to register click here.
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Hot off the press is a wealth of high-quality alcohol research. Email Alcohol Healthwatch if you are unable to access any of the full-text versions:
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DON'T FORGET!
Don’t forget to encourage others to visit our new website and sign up to our e-news!
Also, if you would like to receive our daily media clippings on alcohol-related stories, email Suzanne at ahw@ahw.org.nz
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