Bill should be changed to keep purchase age at 18
Keep it 18 – 11/11/10

The Alcohol Reform Bill contains some provisions that will significantly address alcohol-related harm, but the proposal to split the purchase age goes too far, says Keep It 18. The split purchase age would allow 18 and 19 year olds to enter bars and on-licensed premises, but not to purchase alcohol from off-licensed retailers like supermarkets and liquor stores.

Jenna Raeburn, a spokesperson for the youth lobby group, said that banning 18 and 19-year-olds from purchasing alcohol in supermarkets and liquor stores scapegoats young people. “Alcohol abuse is a problem in every age group. The majority of 18 and 19-year-olds drink in a sensible way and should not be discriminated against because of the unfair assumption that young people are all irresponsible. To the extent that youth drinking is a problem, it can be dealt with in the same way as other problem drinking – by changing the law generally relating to irresponsible supply and consumption of liquor.

“A split purchase age unfairly discriminates against youth. An 18 year old is responsible enough to vote, join the Police or the armed forces, get married, take on debt, or be the caregiver of a young child. It makes no sense to say that a person with these responsibilities is not mature enough to buy a bottle of wine from the supermarket.

“It is also completely arbitrary to say that 18 year olds can purchase alcohol from bars but not liquor stores. There is no reason in principle that a person should be able to drink as much as they like in a bar, but not have a glass of wine with dinner. Such an arbitrary distinction is likely to encourage disrespect for the age limits set by the law in general.

“One of the driving concerns behind the split purchase age seems to be the supply of alcohol to even younger people by 18 and 19-year-olds. This is a misconceived problem. The majority of those under 18 who drink are supplied with liquor by their parents, not by older friends. There are other provisions in the Bill which tackle this problem more effectively than changing the purchase age – for example, the clause which would make it an offence to supply alcohol to minors in an irresponsible way.”

Keep It 18 is a group of representatives from Young Labour, the Young Nats, Young Greens and ACT on Campus. They plan to make Select Committee submissions on the Bill, and lobby individual Members of Parliament to vote to keep the purchase age at 18. The Bill is likely to have its first reading today, with its second reading after it has been considered by the Justice and Electoral Select Committee.

Auckland Central MP Nikki Kay has indicated that she plans to propose an amendment to the Bill to keep the age at 18, if the age provisions are not changed in the Select Committee process.

ENDS

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