The Public Health South draft submission to the Alcohol Reform Bill includes recommendations for a 1am cut-off for on-licence alcohol sales, no supermarket sales, raising the drinking age to 20 on licensed premises, the removal of liquor law exemptions for police and fire brigade canteens, and a ban on managers and employees of licensed premises drinking on the job.
Board member Neville Cook said that while he agreed with most of the submission, the "horse bolted years ago" on lifting the age wholly back to 20. The Bill recommends a split age, restricting off-licence purchases to those 20 and over.
The proposed 1am cut-off to alcohol sales risked a return to the days when bars had mandatory closing, encouraging patrons to drink up in large amounts, he said.
Board member Mary Flannery proposed amending the submission to support retaining the drinking age at 18, but found no support. Authorities should work alongside young people to find solutions, not just change the rules, she said.
The board's Crown monitor, Stuart McLauchlan, said that trying to raise the drinking age to 20 was "naive"; age was "irrelevant" as people always found a way to get alcohol.
Board member Richard Thomson found support for his suggestion the submission should be amended to include a "fall-back" position on supermarket sales.
Board members voted to add a recommendation that failing an all-out ban on supermarket sales, price controls and hours-of-sale restrictions should be imposed.
While Mr Thomson supported the submission requesting stronger measures than were likely to pass, banning supermarket sales was not something the public or Parliament would accept.
Member Branko Sijnja said he had expected the submission to include recommendations on alcohol and family violence, as that was what primary care practitioners like GPs commonly dealt with.
Between November 1 last year and January 25, Dunedin Hospital dealt with 186 alcohol-related presentations. Of these, 8% were younger than 18, 12% were 18 and 19, and 23% were 20 to 24. The total number of ED presentations was not available, but the Public Health South submission said that on weekends, alcohol was a factor in about one-third of admissions.
Chairman Joe Butterfield warned members there was not enough time to make substantial changes to the submission.
