“The regulation of alcohol marketing is so weak in Australia that alcohol advertisements are being seen on school buses, across from primary schools, and before children’s videos on YouTube, an analysis of complaints made to the Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB) has found.

The report, released today by the Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA (PHAIWA) based at Curtin University, found almost two-thirds of complaints made to the AARB over the past seven years had raised concerns about the placement of alcohol marketing in Australia.

The report found that 760 of the total 1126 complaints were about where alcohol marketing was placed in the community. Of the 760 placement-related complaints, almost 40 per cent raised concerns that the advertisements were placed where young people were likely to be exposed or with content that would appeal to them. The report highlights the need for governments to introduce stronger restrictions to better protect children and young people from exposure to alcohol marketing.

The results are outlined in a new report titled, ‘Impossible to escape: The need for stronger restrictions on the placement of alcohol marketing in Australia’, compiled by the Alcohol Programs Team at PHAIWA in partnership with Cancer Council WA.”

Find more from Alcohol Advertising Review Board (Australia, May 2019)

And read the REPORT