People Against Raising Legal Drinking Age
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The federal government would consider raising the legal drinking age and increasing alcohol taxes if there was a community push for such measures.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and state and territory leaders will consider a range of anti-binge drinking proposals at a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Adelaide on Wednesday.
Leaders will discuss proposals to put cigarette-style warning labels on alcohol packages, establishing national laws to govern the supply of alcohol to minors and nationally consistent rules for the responsible services of alcohol in bars, pubs and clubs.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon said raising the drinking age and hiking alcohol taxes were not priorities, but did not rule out either measure.
"If the communities do raise ideas like this that should be considered, were happy to consider them but theyre not part of our first tranche of priorities that well be focused on," she said.
Ms Roxon said the government was seeking to address binge drinking by changing community attitudes as well as laws.
"This is a social problem not just a legal problem and we need to make sure that we are addressing it as such," Ms Roxon told reporters.
But Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia said the community wouldnt feel comfortable with graphic images on alcohol bottles.
"I dont think a person sitting down having a meal at a restaurant would like to see a rotting liver on the side of their bottle of red," Mr Dillon told AAP.
Mr Dillon said information labels on alcohol packaging would be more effective than pictures.
The governments proposals would also strong face resistance from alcohol companies, he warned.
Family First Senator Steve Fielding, a prominent advocate of alcohol law reform, said he hoped COAG would produce real action rather than just a "cosy chat".
Senator Fielding said NSW laws which make it illegal to serve other peoples children alcohol in their home should be extended nationally.
AKA THEY WANT TO RAISE THE LEGAL DRINKING AGE FROM 18 to 21!
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and state and territory leaders will consider a range of anti-binge drinking proposals at a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Adelaide on Wednesday.
Leaders will discuss proposals to put cigarette-style warning labels on alcohol packages, establishing national laws to govern the supply of alcohol to minors and nationally consistent rules for the responsible services of alcohol in bars, pubs and clubs.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon said raising the drinking age and hiking alcohol taxes were not priorities, but did not rule out either measure.
"If the communities do raise ideas like this that should be considered, were happy to consider them but theyre not part of our first tranche of priorities that well be focused on," she said.
Ms Roxon said the government was seeking to address binge drinking by changing community attitudes as well as laws.
"This is a social problem not just a legal problem and we need to make sure that we are addressing it as such," Ms Roxon told reporters.
But Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia said the community wouldnt feel comfortable with graphic images on alcohol bottles.
"I dont think a person sitting down having a meal at a restaurant would like to see a rotting liver on the side of their bottle of red," Mr Dillon told AAP.
Mr Dillon said information labels on alcohol packaging would be more effective than pictures.
The governments proposals would also strong face resistance from alcohol companies, he warned.
Family First Senator Steve Fielding, a prominent advocate of alcohol law reform, said he hoped COAG would produce real action rather than just a "cosy chat".
Senator Fielding said NSW laws which make it illegal to serve other peoples children alcohol in their home should be extended nationally.
AKA THEY WANT TO RAISE THE LEGAL DRINKING AGE FROM 18 to 21!
72 Signatures
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Josh Schreuder
- Comments
- BAAAAD idea
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Mia
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Stephanie Edkins
- Comments
- Why change it? Is there any real reason to? By the time we turn 18, we all know the effects of alcohol and are more responible. This will just encourage more underage drinking.
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Brooke Davies
- Comments
- ITS STUPID TO CHANGE IT. EVERYONE DOES IT ANYWAY!LOVE YOU
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Sharlene
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Andrea M
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Nevermore
- Comments
- Kevin rudd should have never been allowed into power
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Kate Sears
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Stefan Vodoganis
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james bennet
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Sean Bruhn
- Comments
- rasing the drinking age won't change a thing, people will still find a way to get alcohol
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Steph K
- Comments
- This petition is badly written. Gawds, just look in a Legal Studies text or something! But I still support the cause.
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manni
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Christopher Iluffi
- Comments
- Raising the drinking age? What is next the legal age for sex; restrictions are placed but yet the topic its self will be defeated by alcohol producing companies declaring that all added pictures/costs to producing their product itself should be paid by those wanting it to become law. Binge drinking occurs in the youth, raising the age would mean a further 3 years of underage binge drinking, which, I dont know but seems to be undermining the purpose of what it is proposing to do? Im left anticipating the appearance of that rubber stamp again.
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sarah b-c
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Ella Sabljak
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Amber Durey
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daniel
- Comments
- smelly law...
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Tiffany
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JESUS
- Comments
- PENIS IN VAGINA!!!!
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Catriona Duncan
- Comments
- It wont do very much! Society and the British culture is what needs sorting out!!!
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Casey Boyd
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kane
- Comments
- this is stupid im not 18 but i turn 18 soon i live with my 26 year old friend, we have house parts quite a bit were underage people turn up it wont solve anything at all it would make things worse
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Lauren Barker
- Comments
- I live in the US and the debate over lowering the age is never-ending. A 21-year-old drinking age simply does not make sense, and once the age is raised, it's damn hard to get it back down again.
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Meeegan
- Comments
- totally shouldn't raise the legal drinking age
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mitchell
- Comments
- raising the drinking age won't lower alcohol consumption amounts. it will only create an illegal market for young adults. A day when you can serve in the army but can't celebrate with a glass of beer until 3 years of service isn't the kind of place I'd want to live in.
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Joe Frankel
- Comments
- raiseing the legal drinking age wont do a thing people will still be drinking no matter how old they are
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Mandy
- Comments
- If 18 year olds are allowed to vote, get various piercings, tattoos and buy ciggarettes then we should be able to responsibly drink and buy alchohol. How are 20 year olds going to feel? All of a sudden their under age? I think this law will raise so much discust in the community. Not only that, but Clubs and Pubs will lose money and close and then NO-ONE will be able to go out on weekends. Is that what we're turing into, a nation that is so hell bend on trying to fix the problems we face that we make new ones? That's wrong.
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Mitchell
- Comments
- wont change anything
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Thomas Sharkey
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Nickita Edwards
- Comments
- Whats it going to achieve nothing? Just because we are under 21 doesnt mean we are the only idiots! Take a good look at yourself. Maybe you should do more of an effort on drugs than alcohol!
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Alicia
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rodney
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Chantel Fox
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Sophie McCormack
- Comments
- Kevin Rudd will not get my vote in the next election if he dares to raise the legal drinking age and i'll seriously consider moving out of Australia!
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Stephanie Grapsas
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Sam Bullock
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Puck Norris
- Comments
- Rudd is a douchebag, why would he do this to our nation? If the government decided to lower the drinking age to allow 18 year olds to go to war, I say, if they can hold a gun, they can have a beer!
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vince gaeta
- Comments
- its a load of rubbish
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Alexandra Crichton
- Comments
- PLEASE GOD DONT DO IT. I WILL KILL MYSELF!!!! KILL MYSELF I TELLS YA
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Claire-Marie Fitzpatrick
- Comments
- raising the drinking age is stupid. Being 18 gives us voting rights and gives us the option to get our license so why take away the drinking age? it doesn't make any sense and people will just ignore it and drink anyway.
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Krystal Rouge
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renata
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Adrian Dowd
- Comments
- this law willcause uproar in the wider community do not pass this law
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kevin d
- Comments
- i am gay
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Shaun Roden
- Comments
- why change a law that will increase underage drinking?
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ryan
- Comments
- this is stupid our laws have always been 18 our government should take a look at itself and stop trying to follow what ameica does we are australian ot american.
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Brenton
- Comments
- don't do it
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Emily
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chelsea
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72
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