Cancer Council Australia has welcomed recommendations from a federal parliamentary committee calling for stricter regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing in Australia.
The Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability, in its report on the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs, has recommended that the Australian Government establish a new mandatory alcohol advertising and marketing regulatory framework. The framework would aim to:
reduce exposure to children and those at greatest risk;
prohibit the collection and use of personal information for alcohol marketing purposes unless a person has opted in;
harmonise rules across content platforms including television and online; and
introduce appropriate monitoring and penalties for non-compliance.
The Committee also recommended the Australian Government remove its representative from the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code Scheme Management Committee to protect the independence of any new framework under consideration, a move supported by Cancer Council Australia.
Cancer Council Australia says these recommendations reflect long-standing concerns about the inadequacy of Australia's current approach to alcohol advertising regulations, which relies primarily on voluntary rules set by the alcohol industry itself.
Chair of Cancer Council's Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical Activity Committee, Clare Hughes, said tighter regulation is long overdue.
"The Committee's recommendations are an important step toward a framework that puts the health of Australians first.
"Alcohol is a known cause of at least seven types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, breast, stomach, liver and bowel. Reducing alcohol use reduces cancer risk, and that starts with ensuring Australians are not being targeted by marketing designed to encourage them to drink more.
"There is no safe level of alcohol use when it comes to cancer. Australians deserve to be able to make informed decisions about alcohol products, free from advertising that promotes consumption without acknowledging the risks."
Cancer Council Australia is calling on the Australian Government to act on the Committee's recommendations and establish a mandatory framework that prioritises public health over industry interests.
Additionally, Cancer Council Australia would like to see mandatory health warning labels introduced for alcohol products to help ensure people are aware of the risks of drinking alcohol, including the increased risk of at least seven types of cancer.
