Licensing Laws !

The individual state licensing laws have been put in place to protect those below the legal drinking age from getting access to alcohol and they are scrupulously enforced by the police in hotels and bottle shops.  Heavy fines and loss of license penalties apply for those who fail to demand proof of age and sell liquor to under age customers.

Despite this embargo, it is generally acknowledged that most teenagers experience little difficulty in obtaining alcohol.  Either one of the group who has attained the legal drinking age buys it on their behalf or in many cases indulgent parents become the supplier.   Argument rages over the merits of allowing teenagers small amounts of alcohol to moderate a later tendency for health damaging excess.

For many decades the mainland Australian states had a draconian approach to the availability of liquor to all ages.  The entire population was forced to endue the closure of pub bars precisely on the stroke of six pm - and this led to the notorious "six o'clock swill ".    The footpath outside was crammed with drinkers holding as many drinks as possible after being forced outside the door by these pub closures.  Only Tasmania retained the civilized custom of ten pm closure.

Both the adoption of this ten pm closure across Australia and the lowering of the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen  ushered in an era of more tolerance for alcohol.  Many pubs began to embrace live entertainment to attract customers and late license permits extended drinking hours and brought in the phenomenon of night clubs.Unfortunately, crowd dispersal at closing time became unruly and draconian lockout laws were needed to tame this problem.

Australia has never achieved the civilized consumption of alcohol so common in many European countries.  Supply tends to be restricted here by heavy legislative control and in recent times many of the vantage points to watch the famous Sydney new year fireworks have become alcohol free.  Alcohol with a picnic lunch on many beaches is also prohibited.

Like most cities, the Sydney Festival is a music event enjoyed by music fans of all ages and many are dismayed at new rules that will be put in place for this coming event.  In the past the Festival village was studded with dining opportunities in which alcohol was available and many people enjoyed food events accompanied with a convivial glass of wine.   The same rules that applied to families dining with their children in hotels  applied to the serving of alcohol.   The serving of alcohol was not permitted to those under the age of eighteen.   Those under eighteen were not permitted to enter these dining areas unless accompanied by an adult.

This coming Sydney Festival is being sponsored by a liquor company and it has been decided that a  lockout will apply.   The entire venue will be a prohibited area for those under eighteen, unless they are accompanied by a parent - and that would be totally unacceptable to the youth of today.

Basically, the organizers are saying that it is too much trouble to enact age restrictions at the various  dining areas..   It is far simpler to bar entry to the under eighteens - unless they are under the control of a parent.   It seems that the interests of the liquor industry is taking precedence over the audience mix this Festival intends to serve.

That will not be the ruling in similar festivals in other Australian state capitals.  The right for young people to come and enjoy a music festival is to be sacrificed and they be made unwelcome so that access to alcohol to other patrons will not be subject to restrictions.   It will be interesting to see how this affects crowd numbers !