Submissions were heard in Auckland today on the Rugby World Cup 2011 (Empowering) Bill, designed to make it easier for the Rugby World Cup Authority and the Rugby World Cup Minister to grant urgent approvals for temporary activities and facilities during the tournament.
The bill will make it quicker for sale of liquor licences to be issued for the tournament, because of the shorter time frame available.
But director of the National Addiction Centre, Dr Doug Sellman, told the government administration select committee's Auckland session today that the bill showed a "callous disregard" for the health and safety of New Zealanders in favour of the alcohol industry.
"The bill will make alcohol a lot more accessible and enhance the marketing and advertising of alcohol.
"Increasing the number of outlets will increase competition and likely result in cheaper alcohol prices," he said
It also promoted the message that rugby World Cups were not proper events without lots of alcohol.
A recently completed Law Commission review on alcohol use in the country concluded that New Zealand had a major problem with excessive alcohol and one of the key drivers of this was the "unbridled commercialism of alcohol", Dr Sellman said.
"It is therefore a tragic irony that the first formal alcohol response of the Government following the report is to introduce legislation that will liberalise alcohol even further and therefore enhance the country's alcohol-related problems."
Labour MP Trevor Mallard said the legislation made almost no difference to the rules around buying alcohol -- it just sped up the process involved in getting a licence.
"This legislation will not result in one extra drink being sold because anyone who wants to have a drink will get one anyway."
It was important to remember that major changes were going to occur with the Sale of Liquor Act, which was where the country's alcohol problems would be addressed, he said.
