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New alcohol board unnecessary: Brewers Association

The leading representative body for Australian manufacturing brewers has slammed a new industry group, which it says will create public confusion redirect funds away from established organisations.

The Brewers Association of Australia and new Zealand says the newly formed Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB), is an “unnecessary white elephant” that will take funding away from organisations and initiatives which aim to stop alcohol misuse.

The AARB was developed by the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth and Cancer Council WA and has the backing from various organisations.

But the Brewers Association believes the AARB, which was launched last Friday, is unnecessary.

“Australia already has a robust self-regulatory, government-recognised, model for alcohol advertising, naming and packaging through the Alcohol Beverage Advertising Code (ABAC),” Brewers Association CEO, Mrs Denita Wawn said in a statement.

“ABAC provides an independent pre-vetting service and independent complaints adjudication process.

“It is funded through a levy paid by signatories to the Code including the Brewers Association.

“Unlike AARB, the ABAC Scheme has signatories to the ABAC Code that represent 90 per cent of alcohol producers in Australia, including members of the Brewers Association. ABAC signatories are obliged to comply with a decision of ABAC.

She said she is not against their goals to reduce alcohol misuse, but that they would have been more successful if they had approached ABAC with a formal plan for improvement.

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