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Abbott backs drinking age of 18 | National News | Breaking National News in Australia
Abbott backs drinking age of 18
Poll
Should the legal drinking age be raised to 21?
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLDS can vote, drive, join the army and go to war so they should also be allowed to drink alcohol, says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
Mr Abbott said on Tuesday he didn't support a nanny state or the wowser instinct.
He said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd came very close to falling into a pretty serious trap when he endorsed a drinking age of 21.
Asked if he thought the PM was a wowser, Mr Abbott said he didn't support the wowser instinct.
"I don't support irresponsible drinking, but I think the vast majority of Australians know how to handle alcohol and I don't believe there should be any change in the legal age for drinking," he told reporters.
"You can get a job at 18, you can vote at 18, you can go into the army and go to war at 18. I think it's reasonable that you should be able to have a drink at 18."
Mr Rudd said he'd personally like to see the legal drinking age lifted to 21 years.
But there would have to be rigorous debate and evidence that the policy could reduce binge drinking before the government would consider it.
"If the evidence is there and it is capable of being proven that it works, then we (will) look at these things and make a decision," he said.
Mr Abbott said there was evidence all sorts of things could be safer if draconian restrictions were imposed on ordinary life.
"But we live with risk. That is part of ordinary life," he said.
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Posted by picman2 from Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
09 February 2010 9:34 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
There is no set age limit for stupidity and to say we live with risk may be true but it’s not our risk if someone else kills you or a family member when they drink and drive. It’s their risk at our expense.
Allowing others to kill people just because the government doesn’t want to miss out on precious alcohol tax revenue is no doubt why they keep the .05 systems in place. It’s not about saving peoples lives its about the government getting their fair share of the tax loot.
Allowing a system whereby people are allowed to drink in moderation up to .05 only says to people its okay to drink and drive. So in actual fact there is no proper mentality behind the actual regulation.
Zero alcohol limits would say to everyone it’s not okay to drink and drive. This is a regulation that at least has a realistic mentality about it. Changing drink age limits won’t make any difference.
How can people be expected to regulate themselves into taking the right quantity of alcohol during the right timeframe and then be expected to get in their cars and make an accurate decision? It’s bogus regulation that is flawed.
The government is at fault for the loss of lives because it’s their duty of care to provide laws that are at least sensible and accurate enough for people to follow. Allowing people to have some drugs in their system is not an accurate law that can ever be enforced.
A zero tolerance law needs to be introduced for all alcohol and mind altering drugs. Until this is done the government is at fault. Currently the government is running a broken system that never will work and it’s only a revenue-raising scheme under the .05 system.
Posted by Zorro from Noosa Heads, Queensland
10 February 2010 7:10 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
Kevin Rudd was completely taken out of context on this - he didn't "suggest" anything.
Why wouldn't Tony Abbott jump on the back of 18 year old knee-jerks and rabid media hysteria - he's that kinda guy. A real winner...
Posted by Mangrove_Jack from Main Arm, New South Wales
11 February 2010 2:19 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
PM Rudd was expressing a personal opinion I believe.
He was caught live on the back-foot by an angry and articulate young audience.
The Q&A program on ABC this week confirmed my growing suspicions of our PM.
The program can still be downloaded from the www.abc.net.au
website.
Raising the legal drinking age to 21 will be another useless policy initiative.
Teenagers and young adults will obtain alcohol if they want it or switch to illicit drugs..
Comments like these from the Prime minister will turn the forthcoming election against Labor .
Young voters will not resonate with these comments re the drinking age and are furious regarding the forthcomimg censorship of the internet.