Lid lifted on Australian alcohol industry's worst fears

The alcohol industry in Australia has been accused of engaging in what appears to be rather dubious behaviour - it seems confidential documents have lifted the lid on the alcohol industry's worst fears.

According to Western Australian health researchers the industry has used underhand and secret strategies to protect their profits - the researchers from Curtin University in Perth say the alcohol industry's behaviour is similar to that of the big tobacco companies in its efforts to distract public debate and in order to avoid potentially damaging policies such as tax hikes.

The researchers say they have found evidence to back their claims and the alcohol industry in Australia is concerned about attracting the same negative attention as the tobacco industry.

The researchers say internal tobacco industry document searches have led to the discovery of hitherto unpublished documents that provide insights into the drinks industry and they uncover key concerns and strategies for the drinks industry with focus on the Miller Brewing Company and the Beer Institute.

The alcohol-related documents were uncovered as the researchers were examining tobacco document archives and key areas of concern for the Miller Brewing Company, the Beer Institute, and the alcohol industry were revealed.

The concerns included legislative and regulatory controls such as tax increases, advertising restrictions and blood alcohol content lowering and public perceptions of harms relating to drunk driving, binge drinking and underage alcohol consumption.

The researchers say these confidential internal documents provide new evidence on the drinks industry's concerns about possible alcohol control measures and the strategies used to help overcome these concerns and they justify the public health community's cynicism about the alcohol industry while providing a new source of information to assist development in the regulation and control of the drinks industry.

According to Professor Mike Daube from Curtin's public health faculty, the documents were made public because of legal action against tobacco companies, which were the parent companies of alcohol manufacturers, and he says they show the industry's concern that public health authorities will have the same interest in alcohol as they have done in tobacco.

Professor Daube says the documents list coordinated strategies to divert attention away from those programs that will do the most damage such as opposing tax increases, controls in advertising and sponsorship, health warnings, tough policing - especially on drink driving - and good, independent mass media programs on alcohol.

He says the research will help narrow the focus of future public health campaigns and this will be good for public health and the health and safety of the community.

Professor Daube says although the alcohol industry does not want to be seen in the same light as big tobacco, they are using the identical strategies of heavy advertising, heavy promotion, heavy sponsorship, opposing tax increases and soft education programs that don't work.

The Australian alcohol industry is not in agreement and the chief executive officer of the Australian Hotels Association in Western Australia, Bradley Woods, says the research is flawed, 15 years old, and does not relate to the alcohol industry in Australia but refers to the Millers brewing company in the United States.

Stephen Riden from the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia says alcohol is not the same as cigarettes and alcohol and tobacco aren't the same substances, they don't have the same problems - he says Australian manufacturers are willing participants in the public debate about drinking.

The researchers have published the details in the Australasian Medical Journal.