Every West Australian should be able to grow up and live in an environment that supports their health and wellbeing. The current reality is that alcohol companies develop and promote products that appeal to young people, and that West Australians, including children, are constantly bombarded with promotions for alcohol. Alcohol fuels significant harms in the community, including causing at least seven types of cancer. Governments can and must set higher standards for how the alcohol industry markets and sells its products.
The community wants governments to do more to protect young people from alcohol advertising. In a survey Cancer Council WA commissioned of 1,013 West Australians in May 2023, 70% supported governments taking action to regulate how alcohol companies market their products to reduce community exposure to alcohol promotion (6% opposed, 24% neither support nor oppose).
As part of Cancer Council WA’s work to encourage regulatory systems that ensure safe and healthy environments for everyone, especially for children and other West Australians most at risk of harm from alcohol, we respond to particularly concerning examples of alcohol marketing. To this end, we submitted a complaint about Hard Solo on the basis that Solo is a well-known soft drink brand in Australia, which is popular with children and teenagers, and has highly recognisable branding, packaging, and advertising. The Hard Solo product is an extension of the soft drink brand, using the same colours, icon and font on the packaging and the same can shape as the Solo soft drink. The appeal of Hard Solo to minors is evident given the established appeal of Solo to minors.