Drinks industry bodies have slammed the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education’s (FARE) 2020 Annual Alcohol Poll, saying is "incomplete and misleading".
Retail Drinks Australia and Alcohol Beverages Australia have both expressed their concerns about the alcohol poll.
Retail Drinks’ Acting CEO Michael Waters said the poll was a "thinly veiled attempt to tarnish liquor retailers and urge Governments to extend liquor regulation further into Australian households.
“Like clockwork, the anti-alcohol industry have again misleadingly claimed to have developed ‘the nation’s most comprehensive annual survey’ on alcohol consumption amidst a raft of upcoming state and territory elections.
“The headline finding from the FARE Poll – that Australians are drinking more from home – completely ignores the fact that Australians are continuing to make more responsible choices around alcohol, drinking less often and increasingly opting for lower alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages.
Andrew Wilsmore, CEO of Alcohol Beverages Australia, added: “Australians overwhelmingly enjoy a beverage at home as this is where most drinking occasions occur – a glass with dinner, chilling over a movie, hosting family and friends to a meal or BBQ, or watching sport on TV with a few mates.
“FARE’s poll (conducted in January/February) showing that 61% of Australians most frequent drinking location was the home is actually a decrease on the 64.5% found in a recent Roy Morgan Poll.
“Australians still enjoy socialising with others over a beer, wine or spirit with 49% of Australian enjoying a beverage in their local pub or club; 48% at someone else’s home; 46% at a restaurant; and 31% at events such as weddings, sport or festivals.
“FARE’s report also confirms the trends found in Australia’s most independent and trusted source for Australia’s drinking habits, the AIHW NDSHS, which confirms the vast majority of Australians are drinking moderately or increasingly abstaining from alcohol."
Online delivery findings "inaccurate"
Waters also disputed the alcohol poll's findings around the online delivery sector, stating that they do not present an accurate or complete picture and therefore cannot be used as the basis for effective policymaking or regulation.
“The data presented in FARE’s poll paints a misleading view of the online alcohol delivery sector, particularly in relation to identification procedures and unattended alcohol deliveries," he said.
“While the poll reports that only 38% of survey respondents were asked for ID, this was only during the actual delivery and did not include whether customers had already provided their ID at the initial point of sale.
“The reality of the sector is that many retailers already know their customers and have previously verified their identity and age through their respective online platforms. It is completely non-sensical to require an adult to provide ID when they have already been verified as over 18.”
Waters also pointed out that the alcohol poll’s finding of 25% of online deliveries being left unattended also failed to point out the fact that the unattended alcohol deliveries were occurring in the non-same day environment and were being done safely and in accordance with specific instructions provided by the customer.
“In another sign that the poll fails to understand the sector, its finding that 25% of alcohol deliveries are being left unattended does not make any distinction between same-day and non-same day alcohol deliveries.
“These unattended deliveries are being done safety and in accordance with specific instructions provided by the customer. Further to this, all same-day, unattended alcohol deliveries are specifically prohibited under the Retail Drinks Online Alcohol Sale and Delivery Code of Conduct which captures over 80% of all alcohol deliveries online in Australia.
“All Code Signatories, which includes Dan Murphy’s, BWS and Cellarmasters who are reported in the poll as being the most popular choices for alcohol deliveries, are all held to a higher standard than any existing regulatory or legislative standard anywhere else in Australia."
Wilsmore added: “Like every other aspect of our modern busy lives, 15% of Australians utilised alcohol-delivery services in the previous 12 months, citing reasons of convenience and value. While not disclosed by FARE, this was actually a decrease from 33% of Australians in their 2019 survey.
“Hysteria over late night alcohol delivery have been shown to be false, with 97% of alcohol delivered before 10pm at night and no deliveries after midnight showing strong compliance with relevant licensing laws.
“It is important to note that under the law, ID is required to be checked if the delivery person believes the person to be underage. To prevent underage consumption, industry-led initiatives encourage ID to be checked if the person looks 25 years or younger which is 16.3% of the adult drinking population, compared to the 38% of the FARE survey who said their ID was checked.
“Clearly if someone looks like they are mature aged you don’t check their ID, whether that’s in the pub or when you make a home delivery.”
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