Australia: Alcohol group slams attempt to ‘create crisis’ over sports ads
Source: BeverageDaily.com
September 27, 2017
The McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth had published a survey claiming that 80% of Australians were concerned about the current levels of exposure children have to alcohol promotion.
It also found that 71% did not think it appropriate for alcohol adverts to feature sports stars that are popular with children.
McCusker Centre’s executive officer, Julia Stafford, subsequently called on the government to “phase out alcohol sponsorship of sport, close a loophole that allows alcohol ads during sport on TV, and introduce independent, legislated controls on all forms of alcohol marketing”.
Stafford’s demands have prompted an angry response by Alcohol Beverages Australia (ABA) executive director Fergus Taylor, who insisted that alcohol advertising “doesn’t cause underage drinking”.
He stressed that this is a fact borne out by recent government statistics, which show underage drinking in Australia has been in steady decline for more than a decade.
“This decline has occurred while alcohol advertising has increased and expanded onto new digital platforms including social media. It is a clear indication that the regulations in place are working well,” Taylor said.
According to ABA, alcohol advertising is effectively regulated through the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code scheme – a robust independent system with a government representative on its five-member management committee.
The drinks lobby believes the scheme “ensures that advertising content does not have strong or evident appeal to minors or encourage irresponsible consumption of alcohol, show a change of mood or suggest that drinking leads to success”.
Taylor said that there has been no credible evidence to support the suggestion that alcohol advertising and sponsorships prompt underage drinking.
Indeed, the established influences on drinking behaviour for young people are in fact parents and their peers.
“The industry is targeting these causes with real action, like the DrinkWise [awareness] campaigns that remind parents that their kids absorb their drinking,” Taylor added.