Steve Fielding, binge drinking, prohibition, possible solutions, and have another one on me

(Above: prohibition. The only way to stop binge drinking and save the Australian film industry?)

Well I can sleep safe and sound tonight. Cue Steve Fielding:

Last week, when I asked the readers of The Punch for a solution, there were some comments which suggested that I wanted to turn Australia into a nanny state.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. And just so we’re crystal clear I don’t want to or ever plan to introduce prohibition.

Yep, how's that for reassuring. He doesn't want to introduce prohibition.

There's a downside. No Al Capone, no Lucky Luciano, no Bugsy Siegel, no Dutch Shultz, no Frank 'the Enforcer' Nitti, and dozens more. Not even a decent St. Valentine's day massacre.

Which in turn means that the Australian feature film industry will go on missing an audience. After all, look how Underbelly turned around Australian produced television drama. With the crime and the sex and the tits and the tits and the tits. Yep, it's on with the earnest introspective dramas about lost souls in this harsh cultural desert.

As for the rest of the column, published in The Punch, under the header No silver bullet in the binge drinking debate?

Fielding seems to spend most of his time explaining how he can't think of anything that might work.

Well he does wring his hands:

...I think state and federal governments need to act in some way to address our binge drinking culture.

I know some readers of The Punch are worried about alcohol restrictions infringing on our free society. To them I say sorry, but something needs to be done. We have laws for a reason, and that reason is to protect ourselves from venturing too far and doing too much harm to society.

Something needs to be done, we need to act in some way! Yes!! But how?

Apparently some readers suggested deregulating alcohol restrictions and lowering the drinking age, as a way of taking the gloss off drinking.

No, says Steve, that's not a good idea. It's a cultural problem, that needs action to produce responsible drinking. And the tax hike on alcopops - which Fielding voted against - doesn't address the cultural problem.

Hmm. Thinking cap on, and thinking hard. What about closing times?

Many other suggestions were left as well, but sadly many will be hard to implement. I read time and time again the call for earlier closing times. This is an idea which I think on the surface has merit, but will be hard to implement given public concerns.

If they don’t like it, then it might not have the desired affect. However, it certainly is an idea both state and federal governments should consider when looking at addressing the alcohol toll.

Hmm, hard to implement, but consider it. Perhaps closing time at 6 pm, so we can return to the good old days of the six o'clock swill, as celebrated in Wake in Fright. By golly, those lads knew how to binge drink, we could see a return to dinkum Aussie manhood.

What about advertising?

I think Imogen had a good point with her approach of making drinking ugly. This is something which has worked well with smoking. The alcohol giants like to make their drinks look sexy and advertise them as such.

Okay, I'll have another sip of the red. Gee, that makes sense, drinking is so ugly, so why do I feel so hysterically fine and up?

However, if there was a campaign which did the opposite it could break the cultural link between Australians and the need to binge drink. But the question which needs to be answered is what sort of campaign would work best? A positive campaign like Slip Slop Slap, or a negative one like that with the road toll. Both I believe are worth exploring further.
The suggestion the responsible service of alcohol laws aren’t enforced is something I’ve heard plenty of times. I have been told by many people that they have never seen anyone turned away from a bar for being too drunk. That’s despite the majority of people in a nightclub being well intoxicated at 3am.

A positive campaign like sip, slurp, slop and slobber? That might work. Or how about waving a pinkie at a drinker? A pinkie drink campaign. If you drink too much your penis will shrink, or your face will wrinkle (a killer for women).

As for responsible service of alcohol, and no one ever having seen it go down, can I just say proudly that I've been in a group turned away by a responsible barmaid, at her personal peril. Well done dearie, and yes it does happen, but maybe not so much in nightclubs, but just how many has Steve Fielding been in to check? Perhaps I go into a higher class of pub, but the pubs I know tend to do the best they can - except for the ones infested by jocks and football players. Ban jocks perhaps? Nope.

So are we being too soft on nightclub and bar owners? Are the State Government’s doing enough to enforce the law? Would the alcohol toll be reduced if the law was enforced? It’s a possibility. The idea of tougher penalties is one that could be look at by both state and federal governments.

Well I guess that's a leap forward. Blame the nightclub and bar owners rather than suggesting the actual drinkers taking responsibility for their actions. And being penalized if they get aggressive and violent rather than pleasantly drunk.

Right. Who else can we blame?

Jack from Perth wrote:
“Its soft sentencing and weak cops that cause violence. In Perth, on Murry Street, a police officer will gladly give you a $150 fine for having an open bottle of wine on the street but once a fight breaks out he is no where to be seen.”

So unfair. Carrying an open bottle of wine around in the street like a harmless drunk and getting done when you're just setting a civilized example.

Right, it's the cops and the judges. Silly bloody cops don't want to be glassed and take a powder, and the judges hit the drinkers with muffins. How craven. All their fault. But it doesn't quite convince Steve:

It’s an interesting point which Jack makes and one which should be looked at. On the surface there could be merit in tougher penalties. But when do restrictions become to much?

Oops, I can feel a few votes slip sliding away.

So where does all this leave us?

Well I would have thought absolutely bloody nowhere, up shit creek without a paddle, or even a flagon of sherry or a cask of red or a six pack of whatever.

One thing sure is clear - there is no silver bullet to solving our culture of binge drinking or alcohol-fuelled street violence. But that doesn’t mean governments should give up because it’s all too hard.

No silver bullet, but don't give up. It might be too hard but we shouldn't think it's too hard just because it's too hard for Steve and the readers of The Punch.

I think one program which could go a long way to helping solve some of the problems on our streets is the ‘Just Think’ program. It’s a program which was started by the Geelong Football Club and the Geelong Advertiser is one I hope to take to the Federal Government to get more funding.

That's what we need - a football led recovery. For Sydney can I suggest a campaign featuring the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, Cronulla Sharks and Manly. Way to go guys, show us how it's done.

It’s designed in a way which doesn’t stop people from drinking, but more getting them to think before they drink and think before they act. It’s a program which gets people talking and thinking about the consequences of binge drinking, not just for them but for the community. It now has the backing of the eight clubs involved in the AFL finals, and I think through them it can send a pretty positive message to our youth.

A positive message! Yes that's what we need. I'll drink to that! Here's to a positive message. Gee that was sweet. Think I'll have another. Thanks Steve, looking good, feeling good, have another old digger old chum, maate, maate ...

And as well as not introducing prohibition, I think we can safely bet nothing will be done about binge drinking in the life of this parliament, at least if Steve Fielding is any guide.

(Below: no, not a bunch of friendly Australians relaxing after a good night out on the turps, but the St Valentine's Day massacre. Perhaps this is the way to sort out binge drinkers?)