Health minister puts foot in mouth on drinking age

Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor was backpedalling furiously yesterday after an apparent gaffe at a conference on addiction treatment.

During a question and answer session he told the conference that the political reality was that New Zealand was stuck with a drinking age of 18.

The law and order select committee is considering a bill which proposes the drinking age be changed back to 20.

Mr O'Connor's comment was immediately seen as pre-empting the committee's report and prejudging the likely outcome of any conscience vote.

Within minutes of Mr O'Connor finishing speaking at the Wellington conference his office rushed out a statement to clarify his comments. Mr O'Connor said he could not predict the outcome of a conscience vote by MPs and had not canvassed opinions.

"My personal view is that 18 is an age that aligns with key ages of responsibility in other areas. I did not support the age to come down from 20 to 18 in 1999 but now that it is I think we are probably stuck with it."

New Zealand First MP Ron Mark, who is the deputy chairman of the select committee, said it was unfortunate that Mr O'Connor should have seen fit to simplify the issue of whether the drinking age would be raised or not.

"It's a conscience issue and I don't think that statement stacks up at all."

National law and order spokesman Simon Power said Mr O'Connor's comments were out of line.

"For him to pre-empt it takes the Labour Government's disrespect of the parliamentary process to new heights of arrogance.

"He is making a mockery of the process and of the hundreds of submitters who spent months giving evidence, when the committee has not even reported back to the House."

The bill's sponsor, Labour Hamilton West MP Martin Gallagher, said he and Mr O'Connor were close mates but this was an issue on which they differed.

"I think his comments indicate that it will be a very close vote in Parliament. All MPs will be awaiting with keen interest the report back by the law and order select committee.

"I certainly don't give up hope that once Damien has read that report he may reconsider his own position."

The drinking age was lowered in 1999, by a vote of 59 to 54.

- NZPA