Caution over industry's alcohol reduction offer

Health experts are cautioning the Government not to trust a liquor industry offer to voluntarily reduce alcohol levels in pre-mixed drinks.

The move is seen as a way to get around strict new regulation in the Alcohol Reform Bill, which is currently before Parliament.

Alcohol HealthWatch director Rebecca Williams says the industry has made promises about alcohol levels in the past, and not followed through.

"I wouldn't trust any efforts at this late stage by the alcohol industry to be anywhere near effective, and I would jolly well hope that the politicians don't listen to them."

Ms Williams says the industry is untrustworthy and politicians shouldn't listen to the self-regulation proposal.

"It's really not appropriate that we deal with alcohol through the alcohol industry lens. We'd need to deal with it from a public health perspective and a public safety perspective, and leaving it up to them to do what they think is best is not appropriate any longer."

She says right now alcohol is causing significant level of harm in this country, costing billions of dollars a year.

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