THE NSW government must introduce tougher laws to discourage parents and other adults from supplying liquor to children, a key alcohol research group says.
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) will make its call on Wednesday at a parliamentary committee's public hearing in Sydney into the provision of alcohol to minors.
FARE has released a NSW study showing that almost 20 per cent of parents who provide alcohol to children aged 13-17 allow it to be consumed without adult supervision.
FARE Chief Executive Michael Thorn said that every week in Australia one teenager died and another 60 were hospitalised due to alcohol, which was too easy for minors to obtain.
"The Liquor Act has gaps big enough to drive a beer truck through and we need to replace it with robust, effective legislation that better protects young people from harm," he said of the NSW law.
FARE would on Wednesday recommend toughening penalties for those convicted of selling liquor to minors to send a strong message to retailers, Mr Thorn said.
It would also call for a highly visible public education campaign to inform adults and minors about the legal consequences of secondary supply laws.
Mr Thorn said the Newcastle University study funded by FARE showed parents had little knowledge of guidelines on adolescent alcohol consumption and were unclear of NSW laws on supplying alcohol to young people.
The study examined the role of parents in supplying alcohol to 13 to 17 year olds.
The study found 70.6 per cent of parents provided alcohol to children aged 13 to 17 and 57.8 per cent of that was consumed under parental supervision.
Mr Thorn said many parents still believed that introducing alcohol to young people in their presence was the right thing to do despite research showing it was best to delay alcohol consumption as long as possible.
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