The laws on alcohol restrictions are different for each state and territory: Find out more about alcohol laws in your state or territory: For laws and industry codes that apply to alcohol advertising, go to Ad Standards and the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code's Responsible Alcohol Marketing Code. The label on the package of an alcoholic beverage containing more than 1.15% alcohol by volume must include a statement of the alcohol content. Alcohol laws of Australia are laws that regulate the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The legal drinking age is 18 throughout Australia. C This article has been rated as C-Class on the project's quality scale. These are used by pubs, hotels and taverns. In some jobs such as road and rail transport, maritime and mining occupations, the law sets down a legal blood alcohol level and may prohibit a worker from being affected by any drugs—legal or illegal. [3], Alcohol may not be sold in New South Wales (NSW) without a licence or permit being obtained from the State government.[4]. Until 13 September 2018, licensees could supply liquor to a minor for consumption on a licensed premises as part of a meal if the minor was accompanied by a parent, guardian, or spouse,[19] and minors could not be on licensed premises (i.e. Some alcohol laws are different depending on the state or territory you’re in. What we're doing about alcohol We work with other organisations and the health community to reduce alcohol harm in Australia. National. Drugs and driving Random roadside drug testing is now common across Australian states and territories. It is illegal for licensed premises to sell alcohol to someone under the age of 18 years alcohol. The trading hours are Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Swan Light, a very low-alcohol beer (0.9%) is considered a soft drink in Western Australia, as would a shandy made with low-alcohol beer, whereas kombucha is considered alcoholic in Victoria. It is an offence in Western Australia for persons of any age to drink in public, such as on the street, park, beach, or as a passenger in a hired vehicle without first having obtained a permit from the appropriate local government authority. You may be charged with an offence if you serve or supply alcohol to someone who is under 18 years old. Today, it is illegal for any person under the age of 18 years to purchase, supply, or drink alcohol on licensed or regulated premises, even if they are with their parents or guardian. Other laws, such as where you can drink, are different in each state and territory. This could not be further from the truth. The regulations complement the Act and provide further detail to give effect to the intentions of the Act. The standard measure of the amount of alcohol in an individual’s system is known as blood alcohol concentration (BAC), which is commonly expressed in terms of a percentage. [17], Consumption of alcohol on public transport property and vehicles is not allowed. There are restrictions on what can be served after midnight. Across Australia, a person who is under the age of 18 is not breaking the law if they drink alcohol on private property. These are obtained by restaurants and clubs that do not intend to hold a liquor licence. The minimum age for the purchase of alcoholic products in Australia is 18. ID scanners have been introduced to help ensure the safety of patrons by checking each person's ID against a database of individuals who are subject to a banning order. Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, "Underage Drinking: develop policy options to reverse the present trend facing Australia", "New liquor laws start 1 July 2016 - The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory", "History of Liquor Licensing in South Australia", "Liquor and Gambling Regulation in Victoria", "TRANSPORT (COMPLIANCE AND MISCELLANEOUS) (CONDUCT ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT) REGULATIONS 2015 - REG 31 Drinking liquor or possessing an open container of liquor on public transport vehicles or premises", "End to dry polls for Melbourne cafes and restaurants", "Labor vows end to dry-zone polls for Melbourne hotels, bars and clubs", Alcohol consumption by youth in the United States, Alcohol-related traffic crashes in the United States, Legal drinking age controversy in the United States, List of alcohol laws of the United States, Beer classification in Sweden and Finland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alcohol_laws_of_Australia&oldid=992116516, Use Australian English from September 2014, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The Liquor Control Reform Regulations 2009 (the regulations) provide for a range of specific matters in relation to licensing and the regulation of liquor, including prescribing licence fees and application requirements. If you’re on a learners or provisional licence, your BAC must be zero. The following table of alcohol laws of the United States provides an overview of alcohol-related laws by first level jurisdictions throughout the US. [8] In 2012, the Queensland Liquor and Gaming Commission was abolished and replaced with a single Commissioner. Some companies have explicit policies to test their workers for alcohol and illicit substances. In NSW, if a minor is caught with alcohol in a public place it can be confiscated and guardians notified of the offence, a maximum fine of $20 may occur. This is so as to ensure that alcohol users are aware of the jeopardy that they may be putting on their health through the abuse of alcohol. Find out about our policies, guidelines and research. Since late 2011 parental permission is required to be given to any adult before a minor is served alcohol, under a penalty of $7,000.[22]. It is legal to drink and sell alcohol in Australia, provided certain conditions are met. The sale or service of liquor must stop at 2am state-wide, except in "safe night precincts" where alcohol can be served until 3am. 67.5% – is the amount of alcohol content in the strongest beer in the world. For a period, convicts in Australia were partially paid with rum. In Western Australia, the sale, supply, and consumption of alcohol is regulated by the Liquor Control Act 1988 and the Liquor Control Regulations 1989 which are administered by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. Breaking this law carries penalties that include: It is against the law to use a fake ID to buy alcohol, or to use one to enter a place where alcohol is served, like a pub, bar or club. The legal drinking age is 18 throughout Australia. In general, advertisements of alcoholic products must be truthful and without deception. The federal Parliament repealed the laws after residents of the Federal Capital Territory voted for the end of them in a 1928 plebiscite. There are different laws in different states, for example, in New South Wales and Victoria supermarkets are allowed to sell liquor within the store, so Aldi and Costco can sell booze. Before 1905 the drinking age was 16. premises on which alcohol may be sold or consumed) unless accompanied by an adult or in other limited circumstances. Learner and probationary licensed drivers must not consume any alcohol before driving (i.e. In other parts of Sydney, many suburbs still have similar 'alcohol-free zones', notably the immediate streets near railway stations, all main roads in Hurstville, Bankstown, Chatswood, and the City of Willoughby. The term ‘alcohol’ in the Code is a reference to ethyl alcohol or ethanol. These laws have consequences (such as fines, imprisonment or disqualification from driving). For this reason most alcoholic products sold in Australia are labelled with a statement of their alcoholic content if above 0.5%; otherwise, a product labelled "brewed" may contain some alcohol. Western Australian alcohol laws only allow the following identification as legally accepted proof-of-age in licensed premises:[11][26], In general, minors are allowed to drink at home if the alcohol is provided by a parent or guardian, or with a parent or guardian's permission, and none of the people involved are drunk.[27]. [18], Persons under 18 years cannot drink alcohol on licensed premises under any circumstances. Australia has a co-regulatory system for alcohol advertising. As a TV broadcaster, you can show alcohol ads on commercial TV and SBS TV between: 12 pm and 3 pm on school days; 8:30 pm and 5 am on any day. 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