BadgeIsBack

It has some rules but I don't think they get in the way of most.

Sport and booze are big in both Aus and the UK.

You would have to feel a bit aggrieved to really notice an issue with any rules.

There seems a quirk whereby on the one hand lots of people don't like piss-head culture in UK/Aus and then deride rules which only ever get applied for good reason.

I like a drink but I grew out of being a piss-head years ago. I would wonder why someone would want to complain about the booze rules in Australia. If you can handle your drink it need never concern you.

And Dave99 - counseling or 'life coaching' might be a good idea.

Beoz

Never had an issue with sport and booze. I'm in the members at cricket and they serve full strength beer. I believe the ticket payers can only get mid strength right? Rugby both codes do full strength. No idea about AFL in every respect. In the UK at the cricket you get those bar shut down periods during the games to sober the crowd up. I reckon that's a way better idea than mid strength beer. Big screens and beer. No prob in NSW.

Pollyana

I read it as referring to the big screens set up sometimes in parks etc to show major events, outside of the stadium. Alcohol os banned from many events like that. Picnics in the park for things like Riverfire, no you can't even have one beer while relaxing with mates. Watch the fireworks at New Year? Heaven forbid you should want a drink by the river then!

spouse of scouse

Maybe it's just some pubs, or some sporting events? We watch football matches at a local pub all the time.

http://www.inglewoodhotel.com.au/sports/

teza

This. Spot on.

teza

[QUOTE/]
And Dave99 - counseling or 'life coaching' might be a good idea.[/QUOTE]

....and this

OzTennis

The thing that gets me now is the connection between sport and betting. If you watch any program now on Sky Sports 1 to 5 the program will typically be sponsored by one of the betting firms and each ad break will feature ads by 2 or 3 other betting companies. An ad break therefore starts and ends with this program is brought to you by Bet 365 and in the ads themselves you get Bet Fred, Corals, William Hill ................ Every ad features (to me) sad males doing laddish things and brightening up their life with a bet and being uber cool because of it. There are restrictions on alcohol ads and bans on tobacco ads; it seems no restrictions whatsover on gambling ads. Jokingly all of them plead their followers to 'bet responsibly'.

On the footy you can bet on probably 365 different things - next scorer, next yellow card ............

Pokies are a big problem in Australia I know btw but are the betting ads as often?

spouse of scouse

Pokies aren't a problem in Western Australia, they're only allowed in Burswood Casino. I think it's NSW that has the highest proportion of pokies.

We watch EPL games through Setanta Sports, and see the odd ad for betting. I don't recall seeing any on Foxtel channels (Foxtel is the Oz version of Sky), but then again I don't watch any sport except football (soccer).

Beoz

Lots of ads. Not too much of a problem with betting ads. Tom Waterhouse was becoming as annoying as Gerry Harvey for a while but he has gone a little underground.

OzTennis

Gambling is pretty rife in Victoria, a previous premier gave licences to print money to some of his business pals to build casinos and gave permission for pokies.

Setanta? They went bust in the UK (Irish firm?). Sky prefers live sports like tennis when they can put in an ad break every 2 games; they haven't managed to take ad breaks during the 45 mins of footy play yet but that will come surely. We get the perimeter advertising and shirt and kit sponsors for all of the play in all games of course.

spouse of scouse

Oh yes, the old boy's club is rife in Oz. Abbott's the bloody worst, but I won't start in about him because I won't be able to stop.

Setanta is definitely Irish, Setanta Spooorrrrrrts

The Western Australian government has always taken a hard line on pokies. I'm glad.

verystormy

Since my post has caused some debate, let me clarify.

Last last ashes series, there were a number of big screens erected in places for people to watch. One of these was on Mandurah foreshore. A stunning place on the grass next to the water. It was the only time I have been nearly arrested!

We decided what better than to get a great picnic from a luxury deli - th big wicker ones and spend the afternoon watching the test on the screen in Mandurah.

So off we went, picnic, rug and a bottle of wine.

We were a bit surprised to find we were the only ones watching, but happy to spend a livelly day. Or we were until plod came over. Without a word, he grabed our bottle of wine and roughly threatened us with arrest / prosecution for drinking in public and I should know drinking in public was an offense.

Now, we are a middle aged professional couple enjoying a glass of wine. So, I asked, that isn't it an officers job to apply discretion and common sence. He simply said no. My reply was that that must be because he is too fat, stupid and incompetent then. He wasn't happy. Oh, and while this was going on, there was a massive brawl only meters away in the pub. But he turned a blind eye to that (because too fat, lazy stupid and cowardly).

So, WA has no shortage of pathetic rules.

Beoz

As a general rule of thumb. I hate cops

BadgeIsBack

It seems there is a market for sports and betting on the result. My view is if you have the presence of mind to know that the adverts do not apply to you, then you have no need to worry yourself with them. To be honest I watch so little TV when I do see adverts I never take any notice of them - whatever they may be.

Perhaps you should have pretended to have been a bit more suburban-battler - have a sign around your neck saying I don't earn more than 70k a year. Like the cop perhaps. Then you might have been OK!

moneypenny20

Sorry but in this instance he's right. Just because you're a middle aged couple doesn't mean you are not going to get /abusive after having unknown (to him) amounts of alcohol. It's also seriously unfair for anyone else to be told they can't be drinking because of their specific demographic whilst watching you drink. If there's no drinking in a public place (not attached to a pub/hotel), then so be it.

(Most people get around it by decanting their alcohol into a different container.)


Back to the OP, agree with Buzzy et al, you've fallen into Expat Hell. Good luck with whatever you decide.