Editorial: Why wait for action on alcohol

As far as farewell parties go, it is shaping as one of the most raucous in history.

Rugby World Cup 2011 is one year and a few days away and thanks to our slow-moving MPs, it will not only be a celebration of rugby, but a farewell bash to our boozing culture.

Under pressure from a public mood that has turned against our binge drinking, and prompted by a Law Commission-drafted set of recommendations, the National Government has put together a comprehensive package that could do much to stem the tide.

In a few short weeks, Prime Minister John Key and his lieutenants have put together a series of proposals that, if voted in, would:

Make under-18s wanting to drink at private parties get their parents' permission.

Keep under-20s from buying alcohol from off-licences, yet still give them access to better patrolled bars and clubs.

Give local authorities a say in where and when sellers of alcohol can operate in their communities.

Stop 24-hour trading by pubs. A 4am closing time would be imposed instead.

Reduce the maximum alcohol content in ready-to-drink alcopops to a maximum of 5 per cent only.

Impose a zero drink-drive limit for recidivist drink-drivers and drivers who are under 20 years of age.

Invoke tougher penalties for people who drink and drive causing death.

The Government has accepted wholly or in part 126 of the Law Commission's 153 recommendations. Other recent decisions have reinforced there is a battle against the booze going on. One ruled as unlawful the issuing of BYO licences for events such as the popular Mission Estate concerts in Hawke's Bay. That ruling will, of course, change the dynamic of that wine and beer-soaked day markedly.

The need for change is obvious and the paper pushers who fill out the factsheets to back politicians' purges would have had a field day.

Police figures show that alcohol is involved in 30 per cent of recorded offences, 34 per cent of family violence callouts and half of all homicides between 1999 and 2008.

The number of licensed premises has increased significantly, from 6295 in 1990 to 14,424 in February this year.

The number of New Zealanders who die from alcohol-related causes every year is estimated at 1000-plus.

At every turn there is fact after fact supporting the thrust of the changes.

Yet it will take 14 months for anything to actually happen - and that's if the proposals are voted in.

When making their plans public over the past few weeks, and this week particularly, the ministers concerned have pushed their need hard.

Talking about the lack of controls on the supply of alcohol to young people, Justice Minister Simon Power said: "That has to change."

On the need for parental permission, he said: "We've been getting quite a bit of correspondence on this, parents looking for tools to be able to say to their young people, 'Actually, I'm not going to throw a party unless other parents agree that serving liquor in this environment is appropriate'."

He even summed it up: "It is clear ... that the pendulum has swung too far towards relaxation of alcohol laws."

Key too weighed in: "I don't want other parents to supply our children with alcohol unless we have given consent."

Too right. But enough words. We need action and we need it considerably sooner than November next year.

Otherwise the paper pushers can add a few more wasted lives to the statistics charts.

And our Government will risk putting the ugly side of our country on show to the world as the battle for the bottle takes as much focus as the battle for the William Webb Ellis trophy.