By James Atkinson
Foster's and Diageo have both rejected suggestions by the NSW police chief of a ban on alcohol advertising on television before 8.30pm.
In a wide-ranging sermon about alcohol-related harm, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione today inferred bottle shops were to blame for high rates of domestic violence.
Alcohol advertising was also on his radar, with the police chief quoting a national poll conducted for the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation, published last month, which showed 69 per cent of adults supported a ban on alcohol advertising on television before 8.30pm.
But Foster's spokesman Jeremy Griffith told TheShout that advertising "drives brand choice not consumption".
"The fact that alcohol consumption per person has been either declining or flat-lining for 30-plus years, despite millions of dollars spent in advertising, highlights this point," he said.
"Our per capita consumption now sits at around 20 per cent below its peak (reached in the 70's) and continues to fall," Griffith said.
A Diageo spokesperson said consumers have every right to have brand and product information communicated to them.
"All our products are aimed at adults, and therefore all our advertising is aimed at adult audiences. Not only is this sound marketing, it is also part of our ongoing commitment to responsible drinking in our community."