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Below: A Channel 10 news report on New Zealand’s decision to ‘split’ the legal drinking age – allowing 18-year-olds to purchase alcohol in pubs but lifting the age to 20 for those who buy from bottle shops Below: A USA news report on proposals being put by seven American states to reduce the legal drinking age to 18. The report looks at arguments for and against. Below: An ABC Lateline report on an anti binge-drinking film produced by a Perth local council. The report includes information about the extent of problem drinking among young Western Australians. Below: A public health warning funded by the Australian federal government showing the dangers of under-age drinking. Below: PressTV video clip on youth organisations reporting a fourfold increase in alcohol abuse among young Australians. The organisations have called for an increase in the cost of alcohol and for fewer sale outlets |
 Web links, documents |
On June 18, 2007, Online Opinion published an opinion piece by Rob Moodie titled, 'Giving parents some spine in the battle of the booze' looking at measures, including changes to the law, that could give parents some support in their efforts to regulate their children's access to alcohol. The full text of this opinion piece can be found at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=5988
On October 22, 2009, The Sydney Morning Herald published a news report by Paul Bibby titled, 'Call to lift minimum drinking age to 21'. The report gives details on a call from a leading criminologist, Professor Ross Homel, of Griffith University, to have the legal drinking age raised to 21 and the cost of a standard drink doubled as means of reducing Australia's alcohol consumption and associated problems. The full text of this news report can be found at http://www.smh.com.au/national/call-to-lift-minimum-drinking-age-to-21-20091021-h92i.html
On December 14, 2009, The Sydney Morning Herald published a news report by health correspondent, Mark Metherell, titled, 'Drinking age won't change'. The report details the decision of the federal government not to increase the legal drinking age in Australia. The full text of this report can be found at http://www.smh.com.au/national/drinking-age-wont-change-20091213-kqhu.html
On February 10, 2010, Crikey published an opinion piece by Dr Alex Wodak, the Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service, St. Vincents Hospital, Sydney, titled, 'Should the legal drinking age be raised to reduce road crash deaths?' Dr Wodak challenges the efficacy of increasing the legal drinking age as a means of countering problem drinking and suggests methods he believes would have greater impact. The full text of this opinion piece can be found at http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/02/10/should-the-legal-drinking-age-be-raised-to-reduce-road-crash-deaths/
On February 15, 2010, Crikey published an opinion piece by Wayne Hall, Professor of Public Health Policy at the University of Queensland, titled, 'Is raising the drinking age good policy?' Professor Hall argues in favour of increasing the legal drinking age and counters some of the arguments put by those who oppose an increase. The full text of this opinion piece can be found at http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2010/02/15/is-raising-the-drinking-age-good-policy-wayne-hall-looks-at-the-evidence/
On February 15, 2010, Crikey published an opinion piece by Geoff Munro, National Policy Manager of the Australian Drug Foundation. Munro supports moves to reduce adolescent alcohol consumption but also doubts the effectiveness of increasing the legal drinking age. He suggests greater efforts should be made to prevent alcohol being made available to those under 18. The full text of this opinion piece can be found at http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2010/02/15/is-raising-the-drinking-age-good-policy-geoff-munro-responds/
On February 19, 2010, Crikey published an opinion piece by Dr Tanya Chikritzhs, an Associate Professor and Statistical Advisor at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology. Dr Chikritzhs argues that there is substantial evidence that increasing the legal drinking age reduces alcohol-related problems. The full text of this opinion piece can be found at http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2010/02/19/hang-on-theres-actually-quite-a-lot-of-evidence-to-support-raising-the-drinking-age/
On August 23, 2010, the ABC's current affairs program Lateline ran a segment titled, 'Alcohol costs Australia $36 billion/year: report'. The program detailed the findings of a research paper produced by the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation. The full text of the ABC report can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2010/s2991299.htm
On June 23, 2011, the Western Australian Health and Education Standing Committee presented its report on alcohol misuse and management to the Western Australian Parliament. The report, titled 'Alcohol: Reducing the Harm and Curbing the Culture of Excess', made a series of recommendations.
The report's eighteenth recommendation is that there should be community input on whether Western Australia should raise the legal age at which alcohol can be purchased and consumed to 20 or 21 years.
The full text of the report can be found at http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/commit.nsf/%28Report+Lookup+by+Com+ID%29/1511331A52931060482578B80007F0D5/$file/97909904.pdf
On June 27, 2011, ABC news ran a report by Sarah Collerton titled, 'Should Australia's legal drinking age be 21?'
The report details the recommendations of a West Australian parliamentary committee investigating alcohol and illicit drug problems. On of the recommendations is that the Western Australian government seek community input on whether the legal drinking age should be increased to 21. The full text of the report can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/24/3252833.htm