Illustrations of Australia's Major Drug Problem
Thursday, 15th December, 2005
- Wayne Bennett
Newspaper discussion about rugby league concentrates on the ability of the former coach and his replacement to "beat the booze culture" in the Kangaroos. The Police Commander in the Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields, Stuart Wilkins, says powers to crack down on alcohol sales would help curb street violence. Just today's contribution to the drug debate already bubbling along nicely after the Cronulla riots.
Stir with the child of a State Premier apparently ko'd by an alcohol spiked drink during schoolies week. Shake it up with the normal reports of Christmas party rapes and bashings. Goodness knows what the outcome of this renewed publicity about the evils of drink will be but this is certainly a climate in which the alcohol industry should be concerned. Just as racism is alive and well in Australian society so too is the temperance movement. The forces which over the last 30 years have led to the liberalising of liquor licensing laws are about to have some opposition.
A starting point in the renewed fight against alcohol will be opening hours. The special legislation the NSW Government is introducing at this week's emergency parliamentary session might be the response of political spin doctors to the need to be seen to be doing something after the weekend's violence. The outcome still will be police having greater powers to curb alcohol sales. And curb them they will because there is no one on active police duty who does not see more than half their daily workload created by alcohol abuse. Expect to see far more of the "voluntary" curbs on closing hours and restrictions on entering a licensed premise within an hour of closing time. Publicans should get ready for inspectors actually enforcing those supposed prohibitions on serving drunk people. A couple of well publicised fines on major hotel chains like Woolworths and Coles is all that will be needed for a government pretending to change a culture.
The kind of culture that saw the retiring Australian rugby league coach Wayne Bennett lament this week: "I'm sick of the drunks and I'm sick of our game being dragged through every media outlet in the country every time some guy behaves badly, because every time a rugby league player behaves badly, he behaves badly because he's affected by alcohol."
Mr Bennett's comments followed a Sydney newspaper article which said Ricky Stuart had been appointed to "beat the booze culture" inside the Kangaroos following the team manager's report on the recent tour of England tabled at the ARL board meeting in Brisbane on Monday that was "highly critical of binge drinking". The article claimed the report, by former policeman John "Chow" Hayes, said some drinking sessions lasted 48 hours.
Mr Bennett, himself a teetotaler, said: "Don't tell me Ricky Stuart or somebody else is going to do a better job because they'll go and drink with the boys and the boys will behave themselves better just because they're drinking with him. Just look at the Sydney Roosters' track record over the last four or five years with some of their bad behaviour and you tell me whether that approach works or not. I'll go another step further. Last year Ricky was New South Wales coach. They had four guys on security full time with that team to make sure they behaved themselves. I had no one on security with me on our team to make sure our players behaved themselves."
|
2
0
1
3
2
0
1
2
2
0
1
1
2
0
1
0
2
0
0
9
2
0
0
8
2
0
0
7
2
0
0
6
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
4
|
Don't Bother Drinking To Get Drunk, A Little Spray Will Do YouTuesday, 29th May, 2012
The Noise Going Up While Consumption Going DownFriday, 18th May, 2012
Can There be Too Many Retail Liquor Licences?Sunday, 6th May, 2012
Like A Little Grass With That Cabernet?Sunday, 22nd April, 2012
Something For Women To Drink ToSunday, 15th January, 2012
The Alcohol Abuse DebateThursday, 22nd September, 2011
A Cultural Change For The BetterTuesday, 16th August, 2011
An Indolent Drinking LifeMonday, 18th July, 2011
Alcohol Busy-Bodies Storm the SchoolyardTuesday, 12th July, 2011
The Press Wowsers and Exaggerators are at it AgainWednesday, 15th June, 2011
The Perils of Drinking on the JobWednesday, 25th May, 2011
Drinkers Out of Control - Or Is Steady Progress Being Made?Sunday, 13th February, 2011
Going Up or DownTuesday, 16th November, 2010
A Late Night in Down Town RomeMonday, 25th October, 2010
Certainty Down to the Last Decimal PointSunday, 15th September, 2010
A Sobering Comment from Trevor ButterworthFriday, 16th April, 2010
Targeting Young Female Drinkers at TargetSunday, 21st February, 2010
Words of wisdom from on highTuesday, 17th November, 2009
Underage Drinking and Home Delivered BeerWednesday, 14th October, 2009
Naming Illegal Liquor in Port MoresbyMonday, 5th October, 2009
Never Jump To ConclusionsThursday, 27th August, 2009
Wine Powder: for when a cask is just too classySaturday, 11th July, 2009
It's What a Bishop DoesWednesday, 17th June, 2009
A New Word for the Macquarie DictionarySaturday, 16th May, 2009
Alcopops, Drinking and TaxesTuesday, 17th March, 2009
An Unhappy Reader RespondsMonday, 15th December, 2008
Online Grog Game Misses The MarkFriday, 5th December, 2008
Blootered on Rose?Sunday, 31st August, 2008
How to Spot a Drunk - Part 2Sunday, 31st August, 2008
How to Spot a DrunkSunday, 3rd August, 2008
Binge Drinking in the U.K.Sunday, 3rd August, 2008
Amiable, Yet Troubled Man Will Be MissedSaturday, 24th May, 2008
A Costless GestureFriday, 28th March, 2008
Alcoholic Sugar Bombs, Pseudo Energy Potions and Other Shameful DrinksMonday, 17th March, 2008
Cordial Cocktail Mixes at AldiMonday, 10th March, 2008
A Misguided ProductWednesday, 30th January, 2008
If You Frighten People To Death They Will Stop Believing YouSunday, 9th December, 2007
Does Booze Harm Babies?Sunday, 2nd December, 2007
Plucking Numbers from a HatMonday, 26th November, 2007
Sending Wine Cask Pictures to IndiaTuesday, 21st August, 2007
The Mouse and the Rat and Under Age DrinkingMonday, 30th July, 2007
The Grog Runner’s Car and Monkey BloodFriday, 13th July, 2007
WHO Declares Kava Safe Just as Australia Bans ItFriday, 13th July, 2007
Charging the Slobs and the NobsTuesday, 10th July, 2007
A Hairy Drink DetectorTuesday, 24th February, 2007
Gin Lane and Beer StreetThursday, 8th February, 2007
Clapton Sees Red Over a WineThursday, 1st February, 2007
Drink Up Those ProcyanidinsFriday, 1st December, 2006
Drink More, Eat More And Live LongerMonday, 20th November, 2006
Literary World AbuzzWednesday, 8th November, 2006
Troubles in the Buckfast TriangleWednesday, 1st November, 2006
A Fine Image for Wine?Friday, 8th September, 2006
The Noel Young View on Drinking in BritainThursday, 27th July, 2006
Tougher Labelling Laws Required?Thursday, 27th July, 2006
Written in Lemon Juice?Tuesday, 25th July, 2006
Nothing Good Has Ever Come from DrinkingMonday, 17th July, 2006
The Younger You Start the Greater the RiskThursday, 6th July, 2006
Drink, Drugs and Big Lizards - A Fatal MixWednesday, 5th July, 2006
A Coffee a Day Keeps Cirrhosis Away?Monday, 26th June, 2006
They Might No Longer Drink It But They're Proud About Developing ItTeusday, 13th June, 2006
Beware of Large GlassesSunday, 11th June, 2006
Pickled?Sunday, 28th May, 2006
Don't Mention the DrinkWednesday, 17th May, 2006
Would You Put the Alcohol Industry in Charge of the Breath Tests?Wednesday, 3rd May, 2006
Pavlov's New DogsTuesday, 25th April, 2006
British the Biggest BoozersThursday, 13 April, 2006
Not to Put Too Fine a Point On ItWednesday, 12th April, 2006
The Tasteless Marketing of VodkaTuesday, 4th April, 2006
Booze the Biggest ProblemMonday, 13th March, 2006
Home of the Harley Not So Safe When It SnowsFriday, 24th February, 2006
French Hangover Cure?Wednesday, 22nd February, 2006
Surely It Could Not Be the Aquavit?Tuesday, 7th February, 2006
Dam and Blast - There's No Hangover CureThursday, 5th January, 2006
Taller Men Wear Longer TrousersWednesday, 4th January, 2006
Youth Drinking Increased by AdvertisingWednesday, 3rd January, 2006
Going the Grope: Boys Will be BoysThursday, 22nd December, 2005
A Little Swedish CorruptionTuesday, 20th December, 2005
Brandy Doing You GoodFriday, 16th December, 2005
Illustrations of Australia's Major Drug ProblemThursday, 15th December, 2005
"A Very, Very Stupid Thing For Me To Do"Wednesday, 14 December, 2005
Fact or Fiction: Drunken ElephantsThursday, 8th December, 2005
Shock! Horror! Beethoven Killed by Drinking Wine!Thursday, 8th December, 2005
Wine Drinking on World's First Christmas CardMonday, 5th December, 2005
Spirits to Surge in BritainFriday, 2nd December, 2005
Alcohol Saves More Lives Than it CostsThursday, 1st December, 2005
Fellow French Drug PushersTuesday, 29th November, 2005
Breathalysers Used at SchoolMonday, 15th November, 2005
Communion Wine for Wisconsin InmatesFriday, 11th November, 2005
China Outlaws Under Age DrinkingFriday, 11th November, 2005
Don't Mix Alcohol With WaterWednesday, 2nd November, 2005
If You Drink Don't Swim With CrocodilesThursday, 19th October, 2005
Alcohol Behind One Murder in TwoTuesday, 18th October, 2005
Bing Bong for Beery ProfitsMonday, 17th October, 2005
A Delicious Dash of PumpkinThursday, 13th October, 2005
US Consumer Groups Press for Label ChangesThursday, 13th October, 2005
Off School With a HangoverMonday, 10th October, 2005
Scots Seek Alcohol Ad BanTuesday, 27th September, 2005
Playgrounds of ViolenceWednesday, 7th September, 2005
Searching for the Great ClichéTuesday, 6th September, 2005
A Little of What You FancyMonday, 5th September, 2005
A Night Out With the PublicansTuesday, 30th August, 2005
Talking to Kids About Under Age DrinkingThursday, 25th August, 2005
Never Use a Pretty FaceMonday, 22nd August, 2005
Tilting Towards Caffeine, Guarana and GinsengTuesday, 9th August, 2005
Girls Out Drink the Boys and Parents to BlameTuesday, 9th August, 2005
Short, Fat and BaldingThursday, 28th July, 2005
Queensland's Alcohol Code of PracticeWednesday, 20th July, 2005
Wine Becomes America's Favourite TippleTuesday, 19th July, 2005
Taking the Pledge but Bending the RulesSaturday, 16th July, 2005
American Medical Association Joins Liquor Tax CampaignMonday, 27th June, 2005
A Beer Cocktail and a Cognac AlternativeMonday, 20th June, 2005
Experiments in WA with Alcohol RestrictionsFriday, 22nd April 2005
The Darker the Colour the Bigger the Hangover - taken from the New ScientistThursday, 7th April 2005
No Sex Please, We're FrenchMonday, 14th February 2005
Benedictines, Buckfast and the Scottish MinisterSunday, 6th February, 2005
Going Home With CliffSunday, 12th December, 2004
Vodka Free with Your CD – Responsible Promotion?Wednesday, 17th November, 2004
Linking Wine and PetrolWednesday, 17th November, 2004
Some Vodka to Come in US Smirnoff Ice?Wednesday, 17th November, 2004
Beautiful Tannins for SmokersFriday, 29th October, 2004
Enjoy in ModerationFriday, 22nd October, 2004
Stone Age Beaujolais NouveauTuesday, 5th October, 2004
Why pour water into the wine?Tuesday, 5th October, 2004
The Basics of Brewing your own BeerThursday, 15th July, 2004
Salvos and the Lager LoutettesTuesday, 8th June, 2004
An Acedemic of DistinctionSaturday, 5th June, 2004
|
|
RSS Feed