Federal MPs should stop getting drunk at a popular Canberra bar if they were serious about tackling binge drinking, a senior politician said yesterday.
As high-ranking sport officials were recruited to address the growing problem, Democrats leader Lyn Allison urged politicians to take the lead in promoting responsible drinking and setting an example for the young.
"Let's start with The Holy Grail [in Kingston], not staying there until the early hours of the morning and see how we go," Senator Allison said.
"[Adults] need to show by example to young people that binge drinking is not wise, it is not good for your health and it will probably get you into some trouble at some stage in your life."
The Democrats will push today for a comprehensive inquiry into alcohol their third bid in six years to secure upper house support for the probe.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has outlined a $53million strategy to discourage binge drinking among the young. Up to $20million would be spend on a "hard-hitting" education campaign and $19.1million on "innovative" programs to help youth before they developed more serious problems with alcohol.
Sporting clubs and other groups would share $14.4million to develop codes of conduct on alcohol consumption and could forfeit their taxpayer funding if they failed to promote responsible drinking.
ACT Police Commander Leanne Close welcomed "any initiatives" to discourage alcohol abuse.
"Obviously it's a very big concern when more and more of our young people are drinking to a large extent, going out to these nightclubs or other venues and becoming quite intoxicated and causing a lot of anti-social behaviour. That is of concern to us.
"I think we also have to look at personal responsibility and the issues of the culture of drinking within society too."
Mr Rudd said he would meet high-ranking officials from the main sporting codes AFL, netball, rugby league, rugby union, cricket and soccer to discuss the problem.
"I have convened a meeting this Friday to discuss with them how the Government will work with peak sporting bodies across Australia to tackle together the challenge of binge drinking, which is affecting young people," Mr Rudd said in Parliament.
"Millions of Australian kids play sport.
"We believe that, by engaging the peak sporting bodies in this fashion, we should have a real opportunity to turn the corner on this problem, which is confronting so many families and so many communities right across Australia."
Sport Minister Kate Ellis and Health Minister Nicola Roxon would also attend the meeting.
Ms Roxon told Parliament, "In the coming weeks, we will announce our preventative health taskforce which has been tasked with prioritising the excessive consumption of alcohol, tobacco and obesity.
"It will look at the long-term changes to our health-care system to make sure that we are sending the message not just to our kids but to the whole community that this serious problem must be dealt with."
A range of health groups backed Mr Rudd's approach.
But St Vincent's Hospital Alcohol and Drug Service director, Dr Alex Wodak, said the Government should raise taxes on alcohol and impose restrictions on the availability of products to discourage binge drinking.
A recent study suggested that one in 10 Australians aged 12 to 17 years were binge drinkers and consumed alcohol at risky levels in any given week. with AAP
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