Drinking age back on political agenda

1.00pm

The drinking age is back on the political agenda and parties in Parliament are divided over what to do about it.

The debate has been triggered by a Justice Ministry report, released on Monday, which said teenagers are drinking more alcohol more often since the age was lowered from 20 to 18 in 1999.

Justice Minister Phil Goff said yesterday raising it again would only salve consciences.

"The solution to teenage alcohol abuse lies in a range of issues rather than simply saying, arbitrarily, that we will put the age up," he said.

"The answer to me is to change the culture of teenage binge drinking."

His colleague in government, Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton, says Parliament should address the question again.

"I believe Parliament gave the wrong message when it lowered the drinking age," he said today.

"Promises were made and commitments given that this would control drinking, there would be less problems with under-age drinkers. It hasn't happened."

Mr Anderton, who is an associate minister of health, said on National Radio alcohol was the most serious drug problem New Zealand faced.

"We have got a heavy drinking culture and the promise was that lowering the age limit would help -- it hasn't."

The Green Party's justice spokesman, Nandor Tanczos, agreed with Mr Goff that raising the age to 20 was not the answer although he said he understood Mr Anderton's perspective.

"The problem is that (lowering it) actually failed to address the whole problem, which is the culture of binge drinking," he said.

"One of the problems is that when the new law was brought in to lower the drinking age, there was this big thing about everyone carrying alcohol ID cards and policing was going to be increased.

"I don't know that that's been the case.

"If we police the age limit we have got now, I think we would address the concerns Mr Anderton has."

New Zealand First wants Parliament to urgently consider raising the age.

MP Ron Mark said on Monday it was time for MPs to show "political courage" and restore it to 20.

"Everything that we warned would happen as a result of lowering the drinking age has happened," he said.

The Justice Ministry report was the final one in a series of three looking at the effect of the change in the drinking law.

It found that:

* There has been no increase in the number of 16 and 17-year-olds drinking alcohol since 1999 but they are drinking larger volumes and more often;

* The number of 18 and 19-year-olds drinking increased slightly, and the average amount drunk on each occasion rose from five to seven drinks;

* The number of under 18-year-olds apprehended by police for drinking in public jumped from 834 in 1994 to 2597 in 2002;

* There has been a slight rise in under 18-year-old drunk drivers since 1999;

* Apprehensions of under 18-year-olds in bars have decreased since 1999, as has the number of minors apprehended buying alcohol from off-licence premises.

The ACT Party said raising the drinking age would solve nothing.

"The real problem is the combination of a tenfold increase in availability with supermarkets selling alcohol, which is often discounted, and the introduction of pre-mixed drinks combined with the lower age," said MP Gerry Eckhoff.

"These three factors were always going to be a recipe for disaster."

Mr Eckhoff said Mr Anderton's "hand-wringing" over the age factor was nonsense.

"This issue highlights his lack of understanding of the real world," Mr Eckhoff said.

- NZPA