PM Kevin Rudd wants Drinking Age Lifted to 21
News.com.au reported this morning that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd would like to see the legal drinking age lifted to 21.
But there would have to be rigorous debate and evidence that the policy could reduce binge drinking before the Government would consider it, he said.
While being grilled by a roomful of young Australians on ABC Television’s Q&A program last night Mr Rudd was asked if he would like to raise the legal drinking age to 21.
“Of course,” was Mr Rudd’s laughing reply.
However he went on to qualify his answer.
“If the evidence is there and it is capable of being proven that it works, then we (will) look at these things and make a decision,” Mr Rudd said.
Mr Rudd told the audience, including 200 high school students, that booze, like alcopops, was a concerning factor in P-Plate driving deaths.
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I AGREE! - 20 or 21 is a better age for entry into pubs, bars and bottleshops etc. The same for driving a car on their own from say 17 to 20 or 21.
The problem is a lack of education and appreciation about alcohol, not the leagl drinking age. Look at Spain and Italy and their culture where minors are raised around alcohol, they dont have any binge drinking problems like Australia because they have the respect and understanding we should be passing on to our kids
My view on it is that the drinking age for purchasing take away liquor should be raised to 21 but bars should stay at 18. Think about it… at 18 you can vote, die for your country, and drive a vehicle, but you are not entitled to buy a drink in a bar? Madness!
As for raising the driving age that’s fine for kids who live in the city and have access to public transport, but what about those in rural areas? Also if you have a look at the current driving license system it’s 20 times harder than what all the old folks out there struggling to remember what life was like when they were 18 had to go through (no offence Dave old boy!)
You can’t create a second class of citizen for young adults. Remember that they can vote! Maybe take that right away from them first.
Besides most 18 year olds can’t afford to get plastered and cause trouble in a bar… generally they will purchase cheap liquor from a bottle shop the go into the city and cause trouble. I say get them of the streets and into safer and supervised situations i.e. bars. Drinking in bars means that there is at least some form of control over the intake of alcohol that young adults can get their hands on as every member of staff should be practicing RSA.
Why make social pariahs out of 18 -20 year olds? How about us ‘oldies’ show them how to behave responsibly in bars before they’re able to purchase alcohol from off-premise venues and get blind in park.
Remember that the MAJORITY of alcohol related incidents (violent or otherwise) are committed by those over the age of 20. Let’s not take it out on younger generations because we set a bad example.