A new crackdown on underage drinking has been fuelled by teenagers bragging about their alcohol consumption on social media sites and the upcoming Schoolies Week. Users of facebook, and similar sites, are telling their online friends about their drinking exploits causing authorities to take some serious action through the Juvenile Drinking Initiative.
George Souris, Minister for Hospitality, said the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) and the New South Wales Police are working together to stop minors from getting into pubs and clubs and accessing alcohol from bottle shops. The program will run over the next three months targeting venues and underage drinkers in Hunter Valley, Newcastle City, Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah Lakes, Brisbane Water and Tweed-Byron Local Area Commands.
“Uniformed OLGR inspectors and police will conduct high visibility inspections of late trading pubs and clubs sweeping for minors on the premises and checking IDs. Officers will also be ensuring venue security staff are conducting proper checks at entry points to keep minors out and catch anybody attempting to use a fake ID.
“Licensees who allow underage drinkers on their premises face a maximum penalty of $11,000 and 12 months in jail,” said Souris. Souris said that this initiative is also about “targeting irresponsible licensees, not those who are playing by the rules”.