Social

• Accept that the family is the primary unit of society and all policies must enhance it including parental responsibility for children to age 18.
  
  
• Zero tolerance for petty (and all other!) crime including gangs and drugs. Drug free prisons with better rehabilitation are a must.
  
  

• HOUSING

  Introduce Housing account providing low interest loans for first time home owners who have saved for 5 years.
  
  Abolish interest only, and 100% mortgages. Minimum 20% deposit for any government backed mortgage scheme.
  
  Enable government to buy homes (where sole home of the owners) about to be foreclosed for 80% of their current value and rent back to current owners with first option to buy back when they can afford it.(maybe 50/50 with the banks)
  
  
• Promote 3 or 4 day working week instead of layoffs during economic downturn.
  
  
• Repeal what is known as the ‘anti smacking’ bill if  the referendum result agrees that light smacking should not be a criminal offence.
  
  

• EDUCATION:

  Reduce fees for students. Develop on line Tertiary learning.
  
  Develop the quality of teachers by recruiting people from the Workforce with life experience and offering every 7th year as an unpaid sabbatical with job and seniority preserved.
  
  Bonding system to remove teachers student loans after 7 years. Reduce the burden of bureaucracy and social welfare teachers are currently expected to handle.
  
  Teachers should be free to teach!
  
  

• HEALTH:

  Reduce current 21 DHB’s to 6. Bonding system for front line workers in State health system exclusively to write off all student fees over 10 years. Increase efficiency and resources for at least 20% reduction in waiting times within 3 years.
  
  

• IMMIGRATION:

  Ensure new immigrants have a genuine job in New Zealand with relevant acceptable qualifications. Provide more assistance for new immigrants to settle into New Zealand.
  
  
  
  

            SUBMISSION TO THE LAW COMMISSION

                     Alcohol in our lives.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this very important aspect of New Zealand society.

It is well recognised that alcohol has a powerful effect in society. While many enjoy the extra conviviality and pleasure it provides, the savage effects of abuse permeate society contributing to much suffering and social dysfunction including death, violence, crime, rape, unwanted pregnancies, road crashes, illness, family breakup, wife/partner bashing, and child abuse.

The police estimate that approximately one third of all crime is fuelled by Alcohol. District Court judges estimate 80% of defendants coming through the district courts have alcohol or other drug dependence connected with their crimes. It is not only those who abuse alcohol who suffer. The wider effects on their families, friends, and victims are massive.   

I am a believer in private enterprise and the ‘free market’ however alcohol is probably the most potent example of a simple fact that private enterprise only remains free, fair, and positive if there is an underlying moral/ethical basis underpinning it. Denial of responsibility for ourselves and others, and lack of recognition of basic societal responsibilities, leads to the attitudes that encourage excessive and binge drinking. The associated loss of inhibitions leads to many actions people would not take if sober, and which they regret on the ‘morning after’. 

Because of the nature of the problems caused by alcohol and the enormous damage it does in society the normal ‘freedoms’ of a free market society cannot apply with this substance. There are already rules in place however the ‘experimentation’ with lowering the drinking age, freeing up the issuing of liquor licenses, and extended hours for licensed establishments has simply contributed to rapidly escalating problems and proven that these freedoms cannot be responsibly handled.

If we are serious about reducing the massively harmful effects of alcohol abuse, reducing crime, road deaths and injury, medical costs, unwanted pregnancies, and social suffering the time has come to take drastic action. Taxes, prisons, counsellors, police, and treatment costs could all be REDUCED with effective action.

The following actions should be taken immediately:

1. No new liquor off licences issued for sales within 500 metres of an established license.
2. Sales of liquor at all off licences (including supermarkets) restricted to 10am to 10pm.

Sales at on licences to be banned between 2am and 7am

    3.   Age for purchase of liquor to be increased to 20

    4.   All advertising and promotion of alcohol to be banned

    5.   Ban ‘promotional pricing’ of liquor. Selling under a minimum price to be an offence

    6.  Drivers blood alcohol limit reduced to 0.05 for those 20 plus. Zero alcohol for under 20’s.

    7.  Ensure tax on alcohol covers all social and medical costs caused by alcohol

    8.  Make establishment of ‘alcohol free’ areas in cities and suburbs easier

    9.  Increase treatment opportunities including more totally ‘dry’ facilities

  10.  Change emphasis on public good advertising to IT''S COOL TO SAY NO" or “ITS COOL NOT TO DRINK ALCOHOL” with images of young people having fun and refusing alcohol and in alcohol free situations.

Stephen Greenfield,

P.O. Box 6145,

Auckland 1141

Phone    (09) 309 1831       021 174 9588