Media release from minister of justice Simon Power

Justice Minister Simon Power has welcomed the Law Commission's final report on alcohol.

Mr Power tabled the commission's report, Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm, in Parliament today.

"The 514-page report is the first ground-up review of our alcohol laws in 24 years. It's an extensive piece of work which has attracted unprecedented interest from the public, with nearly 3000 submissions to the Law Commission," Mr Power said.

"The commission's 153 recommendations require a considered response from the Government.

"A response must be presented to the House within 120 working days. I intend to meet that deadline.

"Reducing alcohol-related harm has been identified as a priority for addressing the drivers of crime, with police reporting it is a factor in nearly a third of all recorded crime.

"That's why I asked the Law Commission to report back on this a year earlier than originally intended.

"I have previously made it clear that legislative changes to alcohol laws are likely, and my intention is to deal with this before the end of 2011.

"The Government is carefully considering the report and the response is likely to be framed as regulatory in nature, with an emphasis on alcohol availability and licensing. It is extremely unlikely that the Government will move to raise excise tax as part of its alcohol reform agenda."

Mr Power expects the Government to outline its position on the report within weeks.