MELBOURNE—The Federal Government has ruled out raising the legal drinking age and tax hikes on alcohol as it moves to crack down on binge drinking.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon today said the measures were not priorities in the short term but would be considered if there was community support.
The Government has proposed putting cigarette-style warning labels on alcohol packages and banning minors from drinking without a parent or guardian present.
The measures are among a series of anti-binge drinking proposals to be considered at a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting on Wednesday.
State and Territory leaders will also discuss 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.
"This is getting the balance right, it's about what we need to do with our laws and regulations but it's also about what we need to do within the community," Ms Roxon told reporters in Melbourne today.
"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 said health warning labels on cigarette packaging were successful in reducing the rate of smoking.
But the labels were part of a comprehensive strategy and a similar approach was needed to raise awareness about the dangers of binge drinking.
Ms Roxon said banning the supply of alcohol to minors without a parent or guardian present was also up for debate.
"Parents want to do what's in the best interests of their kids," she said.
"You wouldn't dream of, as a parent, offering a cigarette to someone else's child. We need to say is that the situation we want to be in for alcohol but we need to have a very strong community debate still about the way forward because the community has to be part of the solution."
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