3 Nov 2010

Alcohol reform bill just the start, says minister

4:10 pm on 3 November 2010

Justice Minister Simon Power has assured the lobby group Alcohol Health Watch that his alcohol reform bill is just a starting point for changes to liquor laws.

The bill, to be tabled in Parliament next week, includes a series of measures to try to limit excessive drinking.

Mr Power told an alcohol law reform forum in Auckland on Wednesday that the bill would fundamentally change the way alcohol is regulated.

The proposed reforms include the option of splitting the legal purchasing age and giving communities more power over alcohol outlets.

After Mr Power's speech, however, some members of the audience raised concerns that the bill would not go far enough towards changing what they see as an excessive drinking culture.