WITH great delivery options come great responsibility for the liquor industry to make sure alcohol is not freely available to underage drinkers, says Ballarat Police's youth resource officer Des Hudson.
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It comes as alarming new alcohol statistics show that identification checks from alcohol deliveries are as low as 38 per cent and in 25 per cent of cases delivery drivers have simply left alcohol unattended.
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The pandemic-induced surge in deliveries has also meant that drinking at home has skyrocketed, with one in four people saying they had had alcohol delivered within the past year at some point.
Of the people who had online retailers deliver, 70 per cent drank more than four standard drinks that day, while 38 per cent drank 11 or more standard drinks that day.
Leader Senior Constable Hudson said there was no doubt there was an opportunity for children to get access to cheap alcohol, which both parents and the liquor industry needed to be vigilant about.
"In a pandemic we've seen opportunities for business but it comes with challenges and obligations. The liquor industry must still meet its requirements," Senior Constable Hudson said.
"If parents do hold some concerns, we would encourage them to contact police or Crime Stoppers with information.
"Most of our drinking is usually done in public places, so with that not available, they are greater risk factors from alcohol consumption in the home. Two to three standard drinks is normal, to hear some people are drinking up to 11 at a time is concerning."
Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) chief executive Caterina Giorgi said retailers were pushing alcohol into homes at all hours, with delivery as soon as 30-minutes.
"These practices are contributing to riskier alcohol use, and commonsense measures such as introducing a two-hour delay between online orders and delivery, are needed to prevent harm," Ms Giorgi said.
"Everyone selling alcohol should be required to check IDs because no-one should be able to sell alcohol to children, which is illegal in pubs, clubs and bottle shops.
"There's a gaping hole in our laws around online alcohol sales where there is zero requirement for ID checks. This loophole needs to be closed to keep our children, families and communities safe."
Chief executive officer of Alcohol Beverages Australia Andrew Wilsmore said a glass of wine with dinner or hosting family and friends to a meal or barbecue, or having a drink while watching sport with friends was part of Australian life.
"It is important to note that under the law, ID is required to be checked if the delivery person believes the person to be underage," he said.
"To prevent underage consumption, industry-led initiatives encourage ID to be checked if the person looks 25 years or younger which is 16.3 per cent of the adult drinking population, compared to the 38 per cent of the FARE survey who said their ID was checked.
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