❓ Dr. Woollard asks the Minister for Racing and Gaming to debate or introduce legislation prohibiting alcohol supply to minors without parental consent. The Minister acknowledges the issue, but prefers a comprehensive review of the Liquor Control Act before considering new legislation.
AnsweredQoN 159Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ALCOHOL retailers
— sale to minors — PRIVATE MEMBER'S BILL
159. Dr J.M. WOOLLARD to the Minister for Racing and Gaming:
Many professionals
and professional bodies have recently spoken out against the supply of alcohol
to minors without parental consent. On 28 September last year, I tabled the
Liquor Control Amendment Bill 2011, a private member's bill that is
still on the table, which sought to prohibit the supply of alcohol to minors
without the consent of their parents or guardians.
(1) Will the minister now allow this to be
debated in government business in order to protect young people from the
dangers of alcohol?
(2) If no to (1), will the minister introduce
similar legislation as a matter of urgency?
— sale to minors — PRIVATE MEMBER'S BILL
159. Dr J.M. WOOLLARD to the Minister for Racing and Gaming:
Many professionals
and professional bodies have recently spoken out against the supply of alcohol
to minors without parental consent. On 28 September last year, I tabled the
Liquor Control Amendment Bill 2011, a private member's bill that is
still on the table, which sought to prohibit the supply of alcohol to minors
without the consent of their parents or guardians.
(1) Will the minister now allow this to be
debated in government business in order to protect young people from the
dangers of alcohol?
(2) If no to (1), will the minister introduce
similar legislation as a matter of urgency?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for Alfred Cove for some notice of this question.
(1)–(2) There has been quite a lot of
public debate around alcohol over the last couple of weeks. There is always
public debate where alcohol is concerned, and it is good we have that. One of
the topics has been the secondary supply of liquor to people under 18 years of
age, and there is no doubt that is a real issue. Although Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria and Tasmania have legislation in place, there have been no real
success stories on tackling the out-of-control parties that have been referred
to today and minors being supplied with liquor in private dwellings. In fact,
over the last two to three years in most of those states—New South
Wales legislation goes back to the mid-1980s—there have been only a
handful of convictions.
Mr P. Abetz interjected.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I ask the member for Southern River to let
me talk.
There is real doubt
about the effectiveness of the law in this regard; however, the introduction of
legislation to regulate the supply of liquor to a juvenile in a private
residence may have some merit in order to raise awareness, to be a deterrent
and hopefully to make changes to that culture.
I say to Mr Speaker
and the member for Alfred Cove that it is my intention to fully review the
Liquor Control Act 1988 with input from community and industry; and, if
required, I will bring legislation to this house. The issue that the member has
raised with me will be considered, along with many other issues, as part of
that review. Not just that issue but also a lot of other issues will be
considered; for example, changes to the declaration for a restaurant licence
that would allow patrons to stand up and have a drink in restaurants. That has
some merit but it has to be changed by legislation, which I will consider. I
would like to consider the banned drinkers register in the Northern Territory,
which I have been watching closely and which I think has quite a bit of merit.
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I am travelling to evaluate that during the
next long break.
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I formally call you to order for
the first time today.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will consider a number of other areas,
including the changes that we have already made. Members will recall that the
government has introduced a lot of changes and I want to make sure they are
working properly; if they are not, we will make changes. The government has
focused on targeting the troublemakers, with the issuing of approximately 245 barring
notices and 117 prohibition orders. I want to make sure that the changes we
have made to restricted premises are bedded down; there are around 12. I want
to talk briefly on the expansion of small bar licences—I do not want to
hold up the Parliament. We now have 59 small bars due to the expansion of small
bar licences, and six other applications have been lodged. The changes to small
bars resulted from a review, and I congratulate the Leader of the Opposition
who was involved in bringing that review in. It was a good move. We have
overseen that introduction in an orderly and well-managed way that has ensured
these new licences were introduced on a regular basis without causing problems
to the industry. Obviously, with six new licences pending, more small bars will
come along.
I have often said
that alcohol management is about balance. I recently saw a heading about liquor
regulations being a balancing act, and this is about balance. In the last two
weeks there have been calls to free up and tighten liquor licensing
regulations. The government has tried and had some success in cutting some of
the red tape. I will be quick: we have freed up the occasional licences, we
have streamlined and given flexibility to the approved manager system, and we
have made sensible changes to regulations for small charter vehicles. However,
we have some more to do. The review of the legislation will enable us to do
that. We will properly engage with the community and industry and will make
considered changes, as we did in 2010. A lot of the changes made at that time
have worked very well.
I thank the member
for Alfred Cove for her input and ideas, and I will bring back legislation to
this house after we have been informed.
for Alfred Cove for some notice of this question.
(1)–(2) There has been quite a lot of
public debate around alcohol over the last couple of weeks. There is always
public debate where alcohol is concerned, and it is good we have that. One of
the topics has been the secondary supply of liquor to people under 18 years of
age, and there is no doubt that is a real issue. Although Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria and Tasmania have legislation in place, there have been no real
success stories on tackling the out-of-control parties that have been referred
to today and minors being supplied with liquor in private dwellings. In fact,
over the last two to three years in most of those states—New South
Wales legislation goes back to the mid-1980s—there have been only a
handful of convictions.
Mr P. Abetz interjected.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I ask the member for Southern River to let
me talk.
There is real doubt
about the effectiveness of the law in this regard; however, the introduction of
legislation to regulate the supply of liquor to a juvenile in a private
residence may have some merit in order to raise awareness, to be a deterrent
and hopefully to make changes to that culture.
I say to Mr Speaker
and the member for Alfred Cove that it is my intention to fully review the
Liquor Control Act 1988 with input from community and industry; and, if
required, I will bring legislation to this house. The issue that the member has
raised with me will be considered, along with many other issues, as part of
that review. Not just that issue but also a lot of other issues will be
considered; for example, changes to the declaration for a restaurant licence
that would allow patrons to stand up and have a drink in restaurants. That has
some merit but it has to be changed by legislation, which I will consider. I
would like to consider the banned drinkers register in the Northern Territory,
which I have been watching closely and which I think has quite a bit of merit.
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I am travelling to evaluate that during the
next long break.
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I formally call you to order for
the first time today.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I will consider a number of other areas,
including the changes that we have already made. Members will recall that the
government has introduced a lot of changes and I want to make sure they are
working properly; if they are not, we will make changes. The government has
focused on targeting the troublemakers, with the issuing of approximately 245 barring
notices and 117 prohibition orders. I want to make sure that the changes we
have made to restricted premises are bedded down; there are around 12. I want
to talk briefly on the expansion of small bar licences—I do not want to
hold up the Parliament. We now have 59 small bars due to the expansion of small
bar licences, and six other applications have been lodged. The changes to small
bars resulted from a review, and I congratulate the Leader of the Opposition
who was involved in bringing that review in. It was a good move. We have
overseen that introduction in an orderly and well-managed way that has ensured
these new licences were introduced on a regular basis without causing problems
to the industry. Obviously, with six new licences pending, more small bars will
come along.
I have often said
that alcohol management is about balance. I recently saw a heading about liquor
regulations being a balancing act, and this is about balance. In the last two
weeks there have been calls to free up and tighten liquor licensing
regulations. The government has tried and had some success in cutting some of
the red tape. I will be quick: we have freed up the occasional licences, we
have streamlined and given flexibility to the approved manager system, and we
have made sensible changes to regulations for small charter vehicles. However,
we have some more to do. The review of the legislation will enable us to do
that. We will properly engage with the community and industry and will make
considered changes, as we did in 2010. A lot of the changes made at that time
have worked very well.
I thank the member
for Alfred Cove for her input and ideas, and I will bring back legislation to
this house after we have been informed.
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