By Amy Looker
The Australian Liquor Stores Association (ALSA) has weighed in on the backlash from the industry regarding the launch of the Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB).
Launched on Friday by the Cancer Council of WA and the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth, the AARB claims that the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) has failed in its capacity to regulate alcohol advertising.
But ALSA chief executive Terry Mott today said the director of the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth, Professor Mike Daube, had failed to communicate with the industry on matters relating to advertising of alcohol products.
"ALSA is very surprised to see this development. Professor Daube probably has some other priorities that he would be better off concentrating on and one thing that maybe he could practice is communication, because communicating with people will get results," Mott told TheShout.
Mott said that Daube's lack of communication meant that collaboration between the industry and health campaign groups was difficult.
"Professor Daube refuses to work with industry and if he did he may be able to constructively offer some criticisms that the industry could actually work with him on… rather than simply trying to duplicate something the industry is already doing and has proven that it works."