Victoria targets underage drinking

Victoria is changing the Liquor and Gambling Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 to close the loophole that allows minors to drink at licensed premises with parental permission.

The changes, which effectively stop parents buying their teenager a glass of wine or a beer with their meal during a family dinner at the pub, has been suggested by groups, including the Australian Hotels Association (AHA), during a recent liquor licensing review.

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation also backed the change in its submission to the liquor review.

The changes have made it through the Lower House and still have to get through the Upper House.

The Opposition supports the changes.

AHA Vic CEO, Paddy O’Sullivan said the provision was out of date and removing it would clarify the law while reflecting current attitudes towards alcohol consumption by minors.

“As a general rule publicans do not allow that to happen. It’s not the look you want – it doesn’t reflect community attitudes, it’s not appropriate,” O’Sullivan said in a statement.

 So notwithstanding what’s in the law, publicans have set their own rules in that regard and now the law is just catching up to the rules that the pubs themselves have set.”

The AHA has also pushed for a reduction in red tape in the bill. That would end the requirement for venues to keep an RSA register, in addition to having all of their staff’s RSA and refresher certificates on hand.

We’ve made a case that RSA certificates and refresher certificates should be maintained without the need for a separate document, being a register of all those other certificates,” O’Sullivan said.

“In the past we’ve noted that the number one non-compliance issue in Victorian liquor law is the failure of a venue to maintain a fully completed RSA register, whereas the venue would have RSA and refresher certificates for all of the staff anyway.”

Leon Getler 22nd May 2018.