SYDNEY: Australia has long been known as a nation of beer-loving boozers.

But now the government, fed up with what it sees as a growing crisis of out-of-control drinking and subsequent violence, has decided it is time for a change.

Measures rolled out Fed up with out-of-control drinking, the Australian government has put in place series of measures to curb it. -- ST FILE PHOTO March: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a A$55 million (S$54 million) campaign against bingeing, complete with an advertising blitz and grants to community groups. ... more

In the past six months, a barrage of measures has been rolled out: a multimillion-dollar campaign against binge drinking, a heavy tax on pre-mixed drinks popular with young people and a ban on late-night revellers entering certain bars.

The actions ignited fierce debate and revealed a sharp divide.

'We've got to change our drinking habits. It's not negotiable,' said Dr Gordian Fulde of St Vincent's Hospital in the heart of Sydney's nightlife district.

Others say the government's war on alcohol abuse is ineffective or unnecessary - a cheap political ploy based on an exaggerated stereotype of Australians.

Aussies actually are not the world's biggest drinkers - Ugandans are. The World Health Organisation ranks Australia a distant 34th in per capita alcohol consumption.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia show that the country's per capita consumption fell in the 1990s and has held steady since.

'There is a sort of line being spun by our political masters that there is this sort of mass drinking culture in Australia - which there is, but it's not unique to Australia,' said Dr Paul Haber, head of alcohol studies at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.

Throughout the country's history, its leaders have taken on drinking with limited success. Undeterred, they have launched a renewed bid to address the problem of binge drinking.

In March, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a A$55 million (S$54.5 million) campaign against bingeing, complete with an advertising blitz and grants to community groups.

The following month, Mr Rudd's government went ahead with an increase in the tax on pre-mixed alcoholic drinks, which are sweet, bottled drinks popular among young people.

A slew of protest groups popped up on Facebook, including 'Aussies Against The Alcohol Tax Increase', which has attracted more than 68,000 members.

Still, the tax appears to have at least temporarily cut sales, said University of Melbourne sociologist Robin Room.

Last month, New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees imposed strict rules on 50 of the state's most notorious pubs, including shorter business hours and mandatory use of plastic cups instead of glasses after midnight.

But some argue that Australians' weakness for booze is part of the country's culture.

Said Associate Professor Richard Midford, project leader with the National Drug Research Institute: 'It's interwoven into our culture - we work hard and we play hard.'

ASSOCIATED PRESS