The government's plans to restrict the views of communities being heard in alcohol licensing hearings and to roll back the reduction of the hours during which alcohol can be sold will keep alcohol harm high, says Community Law Centres Aotearoa (CLCA).

"The news today from a leaked cabinet paper is alarming to us, because of what we have seen from the Alcohol Harm Reduction Project Community Law has operated over the past six years," says CLCA CEO Sue Moroney.

"We see the effect of alcohol harm every day through our Community Law Centres from bad decisions people have made when they are affected by alcohol through to those assaulted and abused by people who are drunk."

The project operated by CLCA offered free legal help to people who wanted to object to alcohol licences so they could participate properly in the complex process.

"Returning to the restrictive measure of only allowing people in the immediate vicinity of the location of the alcohol licence to be involved in licensing hearings leads to more legal arguments about who has "standing" in the process and less ability for the community to have its voice heard about alcohol harm and how it affects safety in our communities."

"It's a backwards step to change a new piece of law that was fully consulted on and passed by Parliament just last year. It is wrong of the Minister to say the changes are a "mess" when there is no evidence of that, other than those in the alcohol industry telling her that."

"We urge the Government to put the needs of the community ahead of the alcohol industry lobby so that victims of alcohol harm are reduced, not increased."

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