The Australian Association of National Advertisers has accused the Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB) of failing to make a single determination since it was launched in March this year.

The AARB was formed by former Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Stanley in March who claimed that the longstanding Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) Scheme, was “inadequate” in reigning in the industry’s promotional activities.

Now the AANA has slammed the body for not making a single determination on alcohol advertising, despite committing to a target if 20 working days for handling complaints.

However, ABAC has delivered ten determinations for of which have been upheld in the same time., the AANA has said.

“The AARB purported to provide an alternative complaints mechanism but has failed to deliver a consumer benefit. Professor Mike Daube’s own comments that AARB is “working to their own timelines” confirms that it was not designed to act as a genuine complaints handling system for the consumer,” said AANA director of codes, policy and regulatory affairs Alina Bain.

“There are already a number of regulatory protections in place in terms of messaging and placement of alcohol advertising. It is an effective system, underpinned by a transparent and robust complaints handling system that delivers responses to consumer complainants within 30 days,” she said.

“The AARB system has set itself up as legislator, plaintiff, judge and jury. It has developed its own codes and is adjudicating complaints from within its own ranks. It flies in the face of established self-regulatory principles, which include independence of code making and adjudication. What’s more it has misled the public as to its purpose.

“We call on the AARB Board to stop misleading the Australian public and end the AARB farce.”

via B&T