I'm always suspicious when Govt suddenly picks up on a perannual chronic problem and starts making noises about increasing taxes.We have more poker machines per head than any other country on the planet.Pokies are evil anti-social devices that just sap the life blood of the battlers.No mention of banning them.

Yes our binge drinking/violence problems are getting worse,but a lot of this violence is due to a lack of discipline and a legal system that negates it's responsibility in not creating serious consequences for poor behaviour.The laws are there but they won't enforce them.

Huge increases in taxes on alcohol will again penalise the majority who enjoy a social drink.The ratbags will simply turn to illicit drugs such as speed and ecstacy,thus the problem will just present in a different form.Home brewing will also again become popular and the addicts will increase.Remember prohibition?

Govt has to look beyond taxes a solution to managing our social woes.
Getting Govt off our backs would be a good start,since many would find individual autonomy an uplifting experience.

If alcohol taxes are to be increased,then this money should be given charities that help addicts and not just shoring up Govts bottom lines.I just don't trust them.

Yeah I'm real sus too. But I'm always sus on stats. You could imagine at the local cop shop a memo going out for all officers HAVE to log all incidents relating to drinking becuase the Gubbermint have got a bee in thier collective bonnets and need some numbers. Instantly the stats would go up 50% because ALL the conversations the coppers would have with every drunk, or their interpretation of a drunk would get logged as a stat.

You've got to consider increase in population. Inevitably the numbers would increase, as well. Like you pointed out too, people are getting alot more ballsy with the law. You know if you cause a stink being drunk you'll just get a slap on the wrist.

I don't agree with you here...

"Huge increases in taxes on alcohol will again penalise the majority who enjoy a social drink.The ratbags will simply turn to illicit drugs such as speed and ecstacy,thus the problem will just present in a different form.Home brewing will also again become popular and the addicts will increase.Remember prohibition?"

You're stating that the "ratbags" write themselves off by cheapest means possible. Ain't true. GENERALLY, and in my personal experience through working in the security industry the absolute minority of drunks cause issues. 10% of them at most. More likely 2-3%, and GENERALLY, and in my personal experience, the vast majority of those are in their 20's, mid to late 20's mostly. By a persons mid to late 20's they've pretty much already established their means of getting *hitfaced. 99% of users (from my personal experience) have experimented and established their use or non-use of illicit drugs by their early 20's...if not late teens, unless they're a late 'bloomer'. Go to a pub and canvass the patrons on their opinion of illicit drug usage. I bet you anything you like you'll get a definitive answer from every single one of them. They'll either be totally for it, or totally aginst it. I guarantee.

Part of the problem is that the kids have little hope and the adults are not all that helpful.
Its a forever moving, changing world full of wars and conflicts.
A quiet fear stalks the land.
I always recommend the Christian churches to anyone in trouble. Not the old fuddy-duddy traditional churches with all of the ceremony but the really alive christian churches where theres "jumping" music and joy, joy, joy.
Where theres healings and miracles, and prophecy and tongues and interpretation, and people falling under the power of The Holy Spirit.
The safest place in the future, have a close look at whats happening in the world, will be in Christian churches- on- fire- for- Jesus. Assembly of God, Christian Outreach Centres, Reachout for Christ churches, Christian Life Centres, and all of the independent pentecostal churches are where you need to be.
Theres no hope in booze or drugs. But vast hope in becoming a born again Christian through that one glorious personal commitment to Jesus. You can invite Him into your life anytime, any day!
"Everyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved"...Romans 10:13.
HE sure changed my life.

It's the same old thing - a small minority of people are unable to take care of themselves, so we all have to put up with draconian laws, rules and regulations - all to protect one or two dimwits from injuring themselves.

This morning I heard some QLD pollie wants to bring in a bill that extends each spin on a pokie machine by 7 seconds! To make them less fun for problem gambling apparently. Another case of the silent majority suffering because of the governments 'need' to protect the stupid.

I'm very wary of this sudden hysteria over "alcohol fuelled violence" as well. When a catch phrase like that starts to become familiar it's always advisable to take a step back and think for a bit.

I agree that alcohol itself, and alcohol by itself, is the wrong focus but don't necessarily agree with the proposed law and order solutions. There are two things to this: alcohol on one hand, and violence on the other.

Our society is saturated with violence from movies to road rage. Even our public debates are violent if you think about the language used. War on anything you care to name, get heavy with whatever, zero tolerance, stamp out something else.

I think we could do better than trying to restrict alcohol (prohibition never works) and focus instead on campaigns aimed at making violence totally unacceptable, drunk or not, home or not, young or not.

I didn't like the coverage of this issue. It was so one sided, like a hit piece. It's amazing how such views gain so much traction so easily in our society. Media generated outrage. Often violence is consented to by both sides and these incidents shouldn't be used to promote an anti-alcohol agenda.