Monday, March 19, 2007

United Future leader Peter Dunne has launched a scathing attack on what he
describes as big government and politically correct bureaucrats. Dunne has
slammed bureaucrats for promoting "woolly" solutions to problem gambling and
drinking, rather than effective answers. He says there was, and remains, a
problem with young people drinking to excess in private homes, so raising
the drinking age was never going to work. Dunne has also attacked the
Ministry of Health's efforts to get more funding from the gaming industry
for problem gambling. He says there is no compelling evidence that problem
gambling is linked to gaming machines, and there is some evidence that the
incidence of problem gambling is falling. Dunne says the government should
listen more to the industries involved if it wants practical solutions to
the problems associated with gambling and excessive drinking.