ADULTS who host parties for underage teenagers and allow alcohol to be consumed can be hit with heavy fines under NSW legislation, according to Orange Police.
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Canobolas Local Area Command Crime Manager Inspector Bruce Grassick said it is a timely warning to parents when many teenagers are finishing school studies for the year.
He said parents need to be aware that giving their child permission to consume alcohol at a party, away from the family home, is breaking the law.
“It is the adult who is hosting the party who is totally responsible if young people under the age of 18 consume alcohol,” he said.
A spokesperson for the NSW Office of Gaming and Racing said under legislation bounded by the current Liquor Act of 2007, a fine of $11,000 per offence applies to adults supervising a party at non-licensed premises such as a house where underage teenagers are consuming alcohol.
An on the spot fine of $1100 or 12 months in prison can also apply in some cases.
Lyndon Drug and Alcohol withdrawal unit deputy chief executive officer Dr Julaine Allan said adults seem clear on the rules for not buying liquor for young people under 18, but not so with allowing them to drink in a variety of situations.
“The lines seem blurred - for example people are not sure if it is illegal to take a can or beer out of an esky and hand to a young person,” she said.
Dr Allan said research shows that introducing young people to alcohol at home before they reach drinking age does not stop binge drinking when they turn 18, and points to higher alcohol consumption as that person gets older.
“They just end up drinking more and more as they get older,” Dr Allan said.
She said parents trying to guide their child through the teenage years face challenges when it comes to the consumption of alcohol.
“Alcohol is now just considered to be a normal part of life - at every type of family celebration,” she said.
However Dr Allan said the recent release of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey shows a marked contrast in the age at which some households are introducing children to alcohol compared to 35 years ago.
“In 1993 that figured showed children as young as 12 years were being introduced to alcohol at home.
“This latest survey results indicate the average age is around 16 years now.”
janice.harris@fairfaxmedia.com.au