Mission & Justice

Sarah Elks; 25/8/08

Alcohol retailers have been labelled “incredibly irresponsible” for pushing sales of full-strength spirits in the wake of the tax on alcopops, which is designed to combat binge drinking. But industry leaders say any promotions of spirits are simply following market demand. Bottle shop chain BWS, owned by Woolworths, is promoting a “triple up and save” special in which consumers can save $12 by buying three bottles of spirits at the same time. Drug educator Paul Dillon, director of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia, said he had noticed a dramatic difference in the way bottle shops marketed their products since the tax - which raised the excise rate on alcopops by 70 per cent - was introduced in April.

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John Wiseman; 18/8/08

His deeply etched face is the map of a hard life in central Australia, Aboriginal elder Graham Kuyulura has seen the grog and petrol sniffing come and go in his community of Pukatja, in the remote Anangu Pitjatjantjara Yankunytjatjara lands of northern South Australia. The one constant - not that it provides any comfort - is the squalid and overcrowded housing his people endure, up to 10 to a home that’s freezing in winter and an oven in the blisteringly hot summer months. Overcrowding does not attract the attention of alcohol and drug abuse, nor does the violence it fosters in indigenous communities, but it is increasingly being recognised as central to the dysfunction engulfing them.

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Christian Kerr; 18/8/08

Doctors say policies to tackle drinking are under threat from a lack of figures on alcohol consumption and warn Australia may become the only OECD nation not to collect the information. The Government has conceded there is room for improvement. Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia, a team of doctors, headed by professor of public health policy Wayne Hall from the University of Queensland, accuses governments of abandoning the collection of alcohol sales data. He has called on the Rudd Government to mandate the collection of alcohol sales data to assist initiatives to reduce the impact of drinking and measure the effects of changes to liquor licensing laws.

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Paige Taylor; 16/8/08

Aboriginal entrepreneur Barry Taylor, whose company last year won the largest contract ever awarded to an indigenous business in Australia, claims the resources sector is still getting it wrong when it comes to indigenous employment. Mr Taylor, a Nyamal Aborigine from the Pilbara and executive chairman of indigenous contractor Ngarda Civil and Mining, yesterday labelled as farcical Fortescue boss Andrew Forrest’s plan to create 50,000 jobs for indigenous people within two years. Mr Taylor said Australia’s richest man had failed to understand the importance of doing business with more indigenous companies such as Ngarda. He is also critical of Rio Tinto, which employs more than 1500 indigenous workers. Ngarda cemented its position in the Pilbara last year when it won a $300 million, five-year deal to run BHP Billiton’s Yarrie mine.

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Gina Maka’a; 13/8/08

It has been estimated that in the Solomon Islands, almost 85%-90% of sexual assault cases of adults and children alike have not been reported to the local police or authorities. Solomon Times took the time to talk to Family Support Center’s Counselor, Lovelyn Kwaoga. The Family Support Centre, is a Non-Government Organization that supports victims of domestic violence, rape, prostitution and sexual abuse. Ms. Kwaoga states that common cases of sexual assault are often from single mothers and young girls. It has also been noted that most sexual assault cases are results of domestic violence and alcohol.

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John Wiseman; 13/8/08

Jenny Macklin will today face down Aboriginal leaders on remote homelands in South Australia, telling them the time is almost up for them to sign a new federal housing agreement. On her first official visit to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands, the Indigenous Affairs Minister has delivered an ultimatum to the communities to accept the $25million housing deal. “I want the agreement and we just can’t take any more time about it,” she said after visiting Amata, near the Northern Territory border. Ms Macklin and state counterpart Jay Weatherill will today meet members of the APY executive, including chairman Bernard Singer, who has resumed his position after being told to stand aside pending criminal proceedings for assault, alcohol and driving offences.

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6/8/08

Indonesia will execute a total of 39 Indonesian and foreign drug traffickers held on death row by the end of 2009, officials said on Wednesday, as the country faces a growing illegal drugs problem. Three Australians sentenced to death for drug trafficking are not among the 39 because they have not yet exhausted all avenues of appeal. “The president has rejected clemency for 39 people, so the next stage for them is execution,” said Indradi Thanos, head of the national police drugs unit.

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John Ferguson; 2/8/08

Drunk tanks to hold intoxicated troublemakers until they sober up are being considered by police. The sobering-up centres would be used in the fight against drunkenness and street crime, The Herald Sun reports. Senior officers held talks with the Brumby Government this week about the tanks, which are similar to holding cells but with safeguards to protect detainees’ health. The Herald Sun believes they would be modelled on overseas “bed-and-bucket” facilities, with few fittings, allowing drunks to be treated and closely monitored.

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Joel Gibson; 1/8/08

At the 2007 NSW Liquor Store of the Year, staff were instructed to keep “coloureds” out of the shop unless they were willing to come in individually and be searched - and to call police if they refused. Tim Leonard, owner of Old Bar Cellars near Taree on the NSW north coast, wrote a memo to staff in February outlining new rules for Aboriginal customers, “due to the fact that we have now had three known incidents of shoplifting involving the one coloured girl plus friends”. The memo, obtained by the National Indigenous Times newspaper, led to the resignation of Paul Hickey, 33, one of four staff at the time.

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Jill Stark; 31/7/08

Overhauling Australia’s alcohol taxation system would save the Federal Government almost $60 million and would be the most cost-effective way to reduce binge drinking, according to new research. Taxing beer, wine and spirits by alcohol content would dramatically reduce the burden on the health system, the report claims. A study based on World Health Organisation modelling has found that Australia’s problem drinkers would consume less and alcohol-related injuries, accidents and disease would plummet if booze was more expensive. Under a volumetric system, products would be taxed according to potency so that stronger drinks such as cask wine would cost more.

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