NSW bowing to pressure on violence: claim

THE NSW premier has been accused of bowing to pressure from the hotel industry on the drunk violence issue and telling "furphies".

Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation president Alex Wodak has accused the NSW Government of repeating lines fed to it by the Australian Hotels Association (AHA).

This follows growing pressure on the government to crack down on alcohol-related violence, including trading restrictions.

Dr Wodak told ABC Radio that Premier Barry O'Farrell used a line from the AHA that drugs like steroids were contributing to the violence.

"This is just a furphy, another red herring that the Premier is using to get him out of a hot spot," he said on Friday.

"I think it is time he faced up to the fact what he is advocating is not evidence-based proposals.

"They are sound-bites that sound good that have been no doubt been focus tested by the AHA."

Dr Wodak also rejected statements from the Premier that assaults had declined.

Dr Wodak said we needed to be very careful about rejecting or accepting statistics that differed to reports from emergency crews.

"What has happened is absolutely shocking," he told ABC Radio.

"One tragedy after another with these king hits.

"So maybe minor assaults are down but certainly that is not true with the major assaults.

"Something funny is going on and I have really found it offensive that the Premier of this state is singing from the AHA song sheet."

NSW Police Minister Michael Gallacher said there was no evidence hoteliers had influence on the government.

"People make these assumptions that the hoteliers have some sort of influence," he told reporters on Friday.

"I don't know how you can make that assumption because there is no evidence whatsoever in relation to it.

"We don't do our press conferences with hoteliers saying this is working or that is working.

Source:  The Australian - 3 January 2014