Mr DEAN (Windermere) - I am speaking today on behalf of a family from Launceston and my contribution involves alcohol, teenage parties and the law. This is a grave situation in this State and while New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland seem to have given serious consideration to it, we are dragging our feet. Binge drinking and teenage parties, where there is an abundance of alcohol and no supervision and/or nobody is held responsible, are a recipe for danger.

We remember the teenager at Devonport who attended a private barbecue party - about two years ago, I think - where he consumed too much alcohol without his parents' knowledge and during the night fell into a fire and was badly burnt. Nobody was held responsible for that event, to my knowledge, which left a young person, under age, scarred for life, both physically and emotionally. I do not think that matter is finished at this stage, I think it is still continuing.

I now want to relate a more recent tragedy that happened this year. A young boy who had just turned 17 was invited to a party at a mate's place. He was taken there by his parents - responsible people - with a supply of soft drink and left in the supervision of an adult professional person, a parent of his mate. During the night he consumed alcohol without the consent of his parents and decided to stay the night; his parents consented to the stay-over. At 1 a.m. the next day his parents received a phone call from the adult parent at the home to say their son was drunk, had taken a car without permission, had crashed it and was with the police. Luckily he was not injured and it was a single-vehicle accident. The parents attended the police station where the son had been charged with a string of offences, including motor vehicle stealing. They were then to find out that he had consumed a quantity of vodka that had been supplied by the host and that there was no supervision and that other damage had occurred to the home. The charges are before the Youth Justice Court and yet to be finalised.

The 17-year-old youth, up until this night, had an impeccable record, an unblemished character, attending a private school with senior leadership roles - team captain, captain of the debating team, one of the top State debaters, some of the highest educational results in this State, with aspirations of taking up medicine and/or law, most likely medicine. This is now in tatters, which is a tragedy and nobody can be held responsible. What is this State doing to ensure that somebody is held accountable, that there is an obligation and responsibility falling on adults in this case? I have since found out that legislation is being considered in this State but it seems to be slow coming forward.

The Federal Government has announced that it plans to unify laws across all States and Territories to control the supply or sale of liquor to minors. It realises that minors can access alcohol far too easily and that in many cases adults are either providing it or turning a blind eye to the consumption of alcohol.

In New South Wales, adults can give an under-18 alcohol as long as the minor's parents had given permission. On 1 July, fines in New South Wales for supplying alcohol to minors rose to $11 000 and/or 12 months' jail and for minors caught inside licensed premises, or buying alcohol, it doubled to $2 200.

In Victoria, the adult at home of the party is considered to be the legal host and as such is responsible for any person on the premises under 18 years. Hosts are advised to make sure that they are well informed of the legal and insurance implications.

We need these laws now, before more innocent under-age youth and parents suffer the tragedies that are occurring. When will it happen? I call on the Government, as do many other worried and concerned parents, to put laws in place to protect vulnerable under-age kids. If that does not happen in the very near future, we are going to see a lot of similar tragedies to the two kids who would not otherwise find themselves in this position. It needs to be done - I understand it is the responsibility of the police - we need to get on to it and we need to get this law introduced into this State at the very first opportunity.