Alcohol Change Vic, an alliance of 12 health and allied organisations, has today joined a chorus of health organisations urging the Upper House of NSW Parliament to introduce vital measures to protect the public from the harmful impacts of online alcohol sales and delivery.
With the Liquor Amendment (24-hour Economy) Bill 2020 expected to be debated in the Upper House this week, NSW Parliament can introduce common sense measures on online alcohol sales and delivery, ensuring families and communities have added protections against the significant harms fuelled by alcohol.
Senior Legal Policy Adviser for Alcohol Change Vic, Ms Sarah Jackson, said the legislative debate in the upper house provided an important opportunity to close dangerous loopholes in laws for online alcohol sales in NSW and to lead the way for other states and territories to introduce much needed safeguards.
“The emergence in popularity of online sales, especially in a year when people have relied more on home delivery, has shone a light on the shadowy world of digital purchasing and the negative impact it can have,” said Ms Jackson.
“At the moment there is no legal requirement for ID checks, or to prevent people who already intoxicated receiving online orders and doing so quickly. This is a serious public health issue, enabling the alcohol industry to target vulnerable people in a way which undermines community standards and expectations.”
Ms. Jackson said Alcohol Change Vic supported calls from fellow organisations for changes to the legislation including:
· The reintroduction of required age verification at point of sale to prevent alcohol being sold to children, and extend it to all alcohol deliveries, not just same day delivery.
· The extension of the offence to supply alcohol to a person who is intoxicated to all deliveries, not just same day delivery.
· An amendment to the cut-off-times for alcohol delivery to prevent alcohol delivery late at night.
· The introduction of a delay of two hours between order and delivery.
“When making legislative changes it’s imperative that Members of Parliament remember alcohol is one of the top five global causes of preventable death, disease and injury. This is not an ordinary product being debated, this is a class one carcinogen, and a cause of at least seven types of cancer,” said Ms Jackson.
