Wednesday 15th June 2005
Buying alcohol could be off limits to 18 and 19-year-olds after legislation returning the drinking age to 20 overwhelmingly passed its first crucial round in Parliament.
With an election looming, MPs yesterday voted almost 2-1 to back a bid to lift the drinking age in a conscience vote - a sign they are under pressure in their constituencies to take action over teen drinking.
The vote was 78 to 41 in favour of sending it to a select committee for further examination.
But the outcome of the final vote after the election is far from certain, with the bill's author, Progressive MP Matt Robson, acknowledging that some MPs are guaranteeing their support only through the initial stages.
Opponents of the bill say stripping 18 and 19-year-olds of their legal right to drink is bizarre. They are predicting the bill will be killed on its final vote.
But health and alcohol groups welcomed the chance to re-examine New Zealand's drinking culture.
"This is not about criminalising young people," Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said.
"The impact of lowering the drinking age has been bleakly reflected in many negative social indicators, such as binge drinking rates, the increase in alcohol accessed by children younger than 16 and drink-driving rates among young people."
The Medical Association said it was a chance for Parliament to "get it right".
The Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill comes just six years after Parliament narrowly supported lowering the drinking age from 20 to 18.
Those who backed the bill on its first vote yesterday included Prime Minister Helen Clark, who also voted against lowering the drinking age in 1999. National Party leader Don Brash opposed the bill in yesterday's vote.
As well as lifting the drinking age, the bill imposes tougher rules on alcohol advertising and supplying alcohol to minors.
Mr Robson said there was a groundswell of concern about the effect of lowering the drinking age. It was time Parliament examined the evidence. "Did the decision to lower the alcohol purchasing age...in turn lower the effective age at which minors easily access alcohol by two years?" he said.
"Did the law change exacerbate under-18-year-old youth binge drinking and associated problems, such as road accidents and unplanned pregnancies? Did the law change exacerbate hospital admissions for heavily intoxicated 13 to 17-year-olds?"
ACT MP Keith Shirley said it was "bizarre" to think that making alcohol illegal for 18 and 19-year-olds who at the moment drink with the law's blessing would fix binge drinking.
"Binge drinking is a problem in our country, I think underage drinking is a problem. But this does not address it. We're saying that people can go to war, vote, get married - but they can't buy a beer?"
Mr Shirley did not believe the bill would survive its final vote.
"What we've seen with that vote I believe is a lot of electorate MPs getting very nervous about the election - knowing that there are views and attitudes out there about this and not wanting to upset anyone."
Hospitality Association chief executive Bruce Robertson said the bill was "regressive". But he was not surprised by the vote. "A number of MPs had indicated that while they thought the bill was silly they wanted to have a look at it in the select committee."