This week, drinking's OK again

Just as the new temperance unions have all but brought in their dream of 2am lockout/closing for Sydney's pubs, a new study shows that pregnant women who drink lightly have better outcomes for their children.

The large study of 12,500 mothers assessed their children at three years of age. Boys born to light drinkers were 40% less likely to have conduct problems and 30% less likely to be hyperactive than those whose mothers had abstained.

They also scored more highly on vocabulary tests and on identifying colours, shapes, letters and numbers.

Similar advantages were found among girls.

You could call it "alcohol-fuelled child rearing".