6 Dec 2015

Bill to fix low-alcohol beer and wine anomaly

5:20 pm on 6 December 2015

A bill allowing low-alcohol beer and wine to be sold in the same section as regular beer and wine at supermarkets will be tabled in Parliament to fix a technical quirk that prohibits of the sale of the two items together.

Under reforms made to alcohol laws in 2013, displays and promotions of alcoholic drinks can only be made in a single area in a store in order to limit shoppers' exposure to them.

Justice Minister Amy Adams said the current wording of the definition of alcohol meant low-alcohol beer and wine could not be displayed in that area.

She said it made no sense that supermarkets could not sell the products alongside each other, especially when the government was trying to promote responsible drinking.