Wellington, July 31 NZPA - Justice Minister Simon Power says changes to liquor laws will be done in a comprehensive one-off package.

The Law Commission yesterday released Alcohol in Our Lives, an issues paper on reforming New Zealand's liquor laws.

It contained a raft of ideas for the public to consider, including a new Sale of Liquor Act, reduced blood alcohol level for drivers, more taxes on booze, greater restrictions and powers around licensing, shorter opening hours for pubs and more investment in rehabilitation.

The paper is out for consultation and a final report will go to the Government in November.

"I think we would spend a relatively big chunk of 2010 working our way through these issues," Mr Power said.

"I think dealing with the issue in one package is the only way to do it."

Finance Minister Bill English and Transport Minister Steven Joyce would need to work with Mr Power to bring a coordinated approach, he said. Health Minister Tony Ryall would also be involved.

"If a group of ministers are going to consider alcohol reform in a comprehensive way -- that doesn't see bad law coming from ad hoc changes -- we are going to have to consider them together rather than as individuals."

He said the public and industry needed certainty around direction and a sense of finality about changes -- "not bit by bit approach."

A priority area would be work on the relationship between alcohol and offending.

Licensing and hours were also priorities.

"I am pretty committed to seeing a much tidier regulatory regime for liquor, but it's very very early days."

Recommendations in the report included:

* Increasing excise tax overall on alcohol or reduce it for low-alcohol products;

* setting a minimum price below which alcohol products can't be sold -- a measure being developed in Scotland;

* splitting the purchase age, leaving it at 18 for on-licence and raising it to 20 for off-licence;

* making it an offence for an adult to supply liquor to a young person unless it is at a private social gathering and the adult has the consent of the young person's parent or guardian;

* putting the Liquor Licensing Authority under a District Court Judge and increasing its powers to monitor trends and obtain data;

* strengthening law enforcement by giving senior police officers the power to close bars; and

* considering it an infringement offence to drink in a public place.

Mr Power did not want to give views on individual ideas before consultation, but said the idea of a split purchasing age was an interesting suggestion.

However he said the ministers would have to be careful they didn't take a "halfway house approach to try to appease both sides of the argument... I think a split age is not without complication, and it will be a matter for those who are submitting on the report to try to bring some clarity to that debate."

The Government would not want to replace ad hoc law with complex law, he said.

Law Commission president Sir Geoffrey Palmer said heavy drinking contributed significantly to offending and health problems.

Sir Geoffrey urged issues around age limits not be dealt with by conscience vote, but Mr Power said such issues generally were.

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