Parents risk $19,000 fines for allowing kids to ‘pre-load’ ahead of formals
Girls as young as 14 are arriving at school events “barely able to stand” and the parents that let them drink are risking big fines.
South East
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Students as young as 14 are leaving school functions in ambulances after arriving “wasted” from private parties, says a security expert.
Naomi Oakley, who runs U-nome Security, said “pre-loading” ahead of school formals and other events was rife across Melbourne.
The trend had forced private and public schools to organise forums to warn parents of the legal ramifications of allowing minors to drink to excess while in their care, she said.
“The schools are their wits end,” Ms Oakley said.
“They have kids turning up to formals and other functions so wasted they can barely stand.
“In some instances kids as young as 14 have been carted off in an ambulance.”
Ms Oakley said parents were “turning a blind eye to drink fests” at their homes ahead of formals and other functions.
“Even those who gain consent don’t show any form of responsibility when it comes to alcohol service,” she said.
“They are ignoring their duty of care.”
In Victoria it is illegal to supply alcohol to people under 18 in a private home unless parental consent has been given and the authorised adult can demonstrate responsible supervision.
Those caught flouting the law face fines in excess of $19,000.
Melbourne lawyer John Melia warned parents allowing minors to drink could also be liable for injuries or harm to underage guests, even if the damage was done after leaving the property.
“Hosts have a duty of care to their guests even after they have moved on to another venue,” Mr Melia said.
“It’s only a matter of time before someone sues a party host for damages and it ends up in court.”
He called for tougher rules for hosts of house parties with underage guests.
“Security and servers with RSA certificates should be mandatory at a minimum,” he said.
A parent who recently hosted an underage party in Melbourne’s east said several guests arrived already drunk.
“We allowed them to enter but ended up arranging for a couple of guests to go home because they had clearly had too much to drink,” she said.
The party host, who did not want to be named, said she had hired private security for the event and used an alcohol management system to ensure those drinking had permission from parents and alcohol was served responsibly.
“Each guest with permission to drink had to bring their own alcohol, which was sealed and placed behind the bar when they arrived,” she said.
“That way we could manage the consumption of alcohol and make sure the guests were also drinking plenty of water between drinks.
“We had 120 guests and very few issues but that wouldn’t have been the case if we hadn’t employed security and taken expert advice on how to host the party safely.”
Advice from an information session hosted by her daughter’s private school had also helped, she said.