The problem with alcohol advertising regulation in Australia

We’re exposed to alcohol advertising every day, often without even realising – through TV commercials, radio ads, billboards or online.

It’s concerning because alcohol advertising is directly linked to higher levels of drinking and increased levels of risky drinking – particularly in young people.^{1, 2}

We know alcohol causes significant harm to individuals and the community.

And, the current advertising regulations in Australia don’t protect the community from these harms.³

How is alcohol advertising regulated in Australia?

The Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC), created by the alcohol industry, regulates alcohol ads in Australia.

It has ‘four key standards’ for responsible alcohol promotion:

• the content cannot target minors or young people under 25 years of age
• the content cannot encourage heavy or excessive drinking
• the content cannot promote alcohol as a mood enhancer, therapeutic solution, or contributor to success
• the content cannot show alcohol being consumed during an activity that requires safety precautions (such as driving or operating heavy machinery).⁴

These standards are self-regulated and voluntary – this means the alcohol industry is responsible for making sure alcohol ads don’t breach these rules.

This has resulted in a system where alcohol companies find loopholes to bypass the rules. And when complaints are made about advertising breaches, they’re often dismissed.

In rare cases where alcohol companies are found guilty of breaching the code, there are no consequences.⁵

You can read up on some notable examples on the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) website: Alcohol companies continue to play by their own rules, putting our children’s health at risk | FARE

What are the major loopholes in Australian alcohol regulation?

Sport

A big flaw of ABAC is the ‘exceptions’ given to alcohol ads in sport.

Currently, alcohol ads can’t be shown during children’s shows at any time.

For all other commercial television programs, alcohol ads can only be aired:

• between 12pm-3pm on school days
• between 8.30pm and 5am every night/morning.

But these rules don’t apply to sports broadcasts on the weekend or on public holidays, which are often aired well before 8:30pm and are watched by children and young people.⁶

Past complaints relating to this have been dismissed by ABAC – which claims no rules are being broken as over ‘75% of the audience is adults’.⁶

Alcohol sponsorship of sporting clubs provides even more exposure for alcohol products.

During sporting events alcohol brands are often highly visible:

• on players’ shirts
• in media backdrops
• in team change rooms
• in media product placements.

This visibility increases the association of alcohol with sport and encourages positive attitudes towards alcohol products.^{7, 8}

Sports sponsorship is also linked to heavier drinking by teenagers and adult sporting participants.⁷

You can read more about alcohol advertising and sport on The Conversation: Children's health hit for six as industry fails to regulate alcohol ads (theconversation.com)

Streaming services

In early 2023, alcohol ads were being shown on streaming services at times when they wouldn’t be allowed on regular TV.

This included:

• a Grey Goose Vodka ad during a 9Now streamed version of Nine’s Today Show as early as 8:30am
• Smirnoff Vodka ads appearing during the 7Plus streamed version of The Voice which is PG rated and aired at a family-friendly time.⁹

ABAC dismissed these complaints – again saying they did not breach the rules as the audience were at least 75% adults.⁹

Social media

Social media allows the alcohol industry to target people, especially young people, in ways that are a lot harder to monitor.

Platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram have provided alcohol companies with new and cheaper ways to promote products to young people through:

• sponsored ads
• engaging fans through official pages
• influencer posts and user-generated content.^10-12

You can read more in our article Alcohol ads on social media target teens and young people.

Australian health organisations question ‘flawed’ advertising review by alcohol industry

In response to an increasing number of complaints, ABAC announced it was reviewing its advertising code. The review was completed earlier this year (2023) and a report released publicly.

Public health advocates didn’t support the review, as it was designed and run by the alcohol industry and alcohol lobbyists.

And it's no surprise that 10 of the 26 submissions received for the review were from the alcohol industry itself.

No amount of ‘reviews’ will make ABAC prioritise community health and well-being over profits while the alcohol industry is in charge.

Here, you can read the joint letter written by 48 public health organisations who choose not to participate: Statement on the alcohol industry’s review of its Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) | FARE

Why should we better control alcohol advertising?

Alcohol advertising impacts the drinking behaviours of young people, making them more likely to:

• start drinking at a younger age
• binge drink.^{1, 13-15}

When young people drink, they are also more likely to drink to intoxication, resulting in injuries, alcohol poisoning and sometimes death.¹⁶

Alcohol marketing can negatively impact people who are experiencing issues with alcohol by increasing their cravings for a drink. And it can be a trigger for people who no longer drink because they have previously experienced issues with alcohol.¹⁷

There’s also strong and consistent evidence that alcohol increases the risk of mouth, throat, breast, bowel, liver and pancreatic cancer.¹⁸

A handful of countries globally have banned alcohol advertising, or placed restrictions on it.¹⁹

Although banning alcohol advertising in Australia is unlikely, placing sensible restrictions on the way it’s advertised and promoted is one way we can help to lower the risk of harm.^{1, 20}