A parents Rights 13+ responsibly.

I find this funny because kids never wait until they are 21 to drink anyway. I do think it should remain 21 because that is the age where you are wising up a little bit (hopefully). I was drinking when I was 18, My children all figured out how to water down the liquor bottles at about age 16 or they were drinking with their friends. My rule was , if you are messed up in ANY way you will not drive so I was a midnight taxi on more than one occasion for sure.

In the UK...I wore a nice suit and was served in pubs without question when I was fifteen...I first worked behind a bar in the UK when I was sixteen when they needed more staff and it was busy...at seventeen I was the main barman at one of Brighton's most trendy restaurants....I did all the busiest shifts...and asked for the day off for my birthday....the boss said great...how old are you?....I answered 18...they all laughed... Edited 13-Nov-21 20:11pm

The age limit should be 101, but seeing the government makes so much from it, I guess 30. I am sick to death of hearing the same worn out story of "Never again", until the next day and it's back to drinking.

if they are old enough to DIE for their country .... then they should be able to smoke, drink, chase wild women

There should not be any alcohol; introduced to children of any age at ant time look at what it's done to the so called grown ups

For their health sake never

20

110..

21

30

21 for drinking and driving .Younger no brains and happy without them.

21 people should be a bit more matured and responsible

In NZ it is 18 & should stay there in my humble opinion.

I think the minimum age should 90

Overall I think it would be better if parents introduced children from say 12 on to "watered down" alcohol. By 16 most kids in Australian society have "experimented" with alcohol, mostly because it is illegal and often with awful results. In countries like France quite young kids are introduced to alcohol by giving them watered down wine at the dinner table.

It’s good as it is…just leave it

21 surely there are enough other things to do with out a glass in their hands, how many times do you turn on TV to see a heap of young ones totally wasted,

50

I have always believed it should be 21. HOWEVER ...... more to the point is kids should be taught more about alcohol and it's effects in schools. Don't just leave it to parents - I say that is a lot of the problem.....

If it’s not broken don’t try and fix it However There are arguments for both sides You could leave it as is 18 and reduce the driving age to 16

21

18

i was in a bind with this. I live in NSW [since 1966] and age was 18.IF I went across the border to Qld I was under age as was 21. my younger brother got nabbed by the police. he was not on any licensed area but standing outside a open window on the footpath. he was talking to a friend and the cop said legally he was on hotel premises [footpath]

It always depends on the person and their circumstances as to whether drinking at any age becomes a problem

This is the only law I really agree with in America. The legal drinking age of 21 and learning to drive at 16. That way they have time behind the wheel before being handed the keys to the pub as well

Gary that is right.

18

I started at 16 and now 74 and still going, everything in moderation is the key.

The genie is out of that bottle! It is now far too late to return the it to 18. In our family we were introduced to wine by our parents - and no we did not come from France or Italy but the then staid, old, catholic Ireland - from a much younger age, My first glass of "Adult" wine was when I was about 10 at Christmas - Mum admitted that she and Dad watered it down to about 50/50 and then it was gradually increased so that by the time we were 21 we were drinking the real thing. We were also taught how to drink responsibly. My brother was allowed to drive the car but on the proviso that he had No Alcohol in his body. He learned the hard was as he broke that rule once and Mum and Dad would not let him have the car for 6 months - a big impact on his social life! It also taught us younger ones to be responsible with regard to alcohol consumption. Even today, many, many decades later none of us will get behind the wheel with even one drink in us. Teach the young to drink and be responsible. Its up to the parents.

I believe it should go back to 21 years of age - just gives young people another year or two of life experience and, one hopes, a little more common sense and willingness to obey road and other rules - which, let's face it, are only there for everyone's safety and happier lifestyles.

Changing the age when people can legally drink isn't going to make any difference.....I think 18 makes sense as you are a legal adult and can be killed in a war or drive a car...but lets make it universal...you cross a state border in the US and suddenly you are too young to drink?...does not make any sense....

Age doesn't make any difference, it is learning how to be responsible with alcohol like any other challenge in life. Parenting and good examples are most important.

21

Should be 21 like it used to be, just ridiculous you can get a licence and drink at 18. But who cares what I say I am 76 and am apparently a dinasour.

68

In public places 18 it is up to the parents to decide at home Like most Mediterraneans I have drunk wine from a very early age and never been drunk I do not drink as much now as i did for many years

This has always been a hard question but having read thru some of the comments, I think that you should be able to drive at 18 but be on your "P"s until you are 19 then to get the full license at 20, hopefully they are more responsible for driving on our roads. Another suggestion which has codme up before, is to restrict them by saying the kind of car they can get because of so many young drivers get cars with a V8 engine but can't control their driving with such a high octane car.

Who the heck is suggesting younger? Who are these 'some people' you speak of?

it should be 21

i was born in nz into a big family, having 4 brothers and 3 sisters. my dad if he was having a beer at home he would give us a small glass half full, as he said he would rather we did it at home than elsewhere, mind you i was about 13 before i got my first, and even now i dont drink beer but i have the occasional wine, i think the age should be 21

Suggest 18 at youngest, as we can hope and pray by that age they will be happy to use their brains, and have have less drunk, driving,fighting and deaths.

Make it 25 then hopefully it would reduce the number of young ones getting drunk, driving and then being involved in fatal accidents.

Being brought up in an Italian family we got to have some wine mixed with lemonade at dinner and also my grandfather used to give me half a small glass of beer every once in a while. When I grew up I was never really a heavy drinker but there was that societal pressure when friends wanted to go to pubs. These days I rarely drink and when I do I can only really have one because it makes me sleepy haha. But I think that not everyone is the same in that respect and can still turn out to drink excessively even if introduced at a younger age so I think 21 is a good age to be able to make your own decisions.

I have to agree with Colin and Tony...If you can vote and go to war,then you should be able to have a drink...Kids need to be taught about responsible drinking and the things that can go wrong...

If they are old enough for the Government to Pres Gang them into going OS nd killing people then they are old enough to get Alcohol and drink it.

They are starting to do things at a lot earlier age these days like having sex, drinking, driving and doing drugs. Cars are being stolen by 12 year olds.Why aren't they playing cricket in the streets like we did. They hang around bottle shops trying to get some one to buy them alcohol. Worse thing I have ever seen and this is some time ago now was a young girl of about 14 sniffing an aerosol can from a paper bag. I was at a Subway and she was siting out side the shop doing this in front of people. Subway staff called the police. What a waste, she looked so sad and was so high any thing could have happened to her, any one could have just grabbed her. I waited until the police came and they took her away. Hopefully to get her some help. They watch all these things on tv, Youtube, TikTok and they think it is okay for them to do too and in reality it is the last thing they should be doing. What the answer is to this problem is education. How much do teachers really have raise the children they are there to teach. 21 is a good age for drinking and 18 for driving, staggering the responsibilities so it isn't so overwhelming is a very good idea. They seem to grow up way to fast these days. Glad I didn't have to deal with any of this in so many ways.

New Zealand has a terrible binge drinking culture, I think the drinking age should be at least 20.

i think 21 is the best age as younger ones wouldn't know what to do when they get drunk.

Definitely not introduce it at a younger age imagine what it would do to there insides if this was allowed.. I think anywhere from 18 to 21 is a good age..

I think 21 is good enough.

This is a question about a really complex situation. I'm not sure there are any right or wrong answers. As with a lot of things, common sense should dictate how this is handled. Anyone who has done a RSA course (Responsible serving of Alcohol) would appreciate that the laws that we operate under (Victoria) are pretty good and well thought out. For younger people they do require parental supervision which isn't a bad thing.

Should be 21.

Should be taken back to at least 20. Brains aren't developed normally before then and alcohol just makes it worse.

Always a problem with people always getting drunk & want to get drunk. I think the age be increased to over 20

In Australia the legal drinking age is 18 which is when we can vote and go off to war. I do not drink and never have so my opinion is somewhat skewed.

Current age in NZ is 18 and where I live while there are some issues it doesn't seem to be a major problem with younger drinkers, its more with older drinkers 25 plus but cant comment on the major cities

Over 19

I’d say 18 but perhaps a shandy with parents up to 2 years before

18

20

I think it should be 18 or older but I think if you educate your kids about drinking it helps

18 Though P plate glasses might be an idea Become a drongo you get your privileges taken away ;)

Yeah, at home 18, in public 21. OK?

21, like it used to be years ago

21

BAN ALCOHOL ALTOGETHER

If you can vote at 18,then you should be allowed to legally drink alcohol

If you think the law and legal age limits have any bearing on when drinking starts, you are naive. It only effects what happens out in public not what happens behind closed doors. Edited 12-Nov-21 06:55am

It should be 21

about 20

I think it should be 20 at the very youngest. Going back to 21 would be fine too.

ability to cope with alcohol varies considerably and no one size fits all so I'd leave it at 18!

35

18, if you are considered an adult at that age than you should be able to legally partake in adult activities

18 to vote in NZ so 18 to drink. I've seen middle aged + getting blotto with zero responsibility. And let's not forget the lovely ladies who attend Melbourne Cup day and look a right sight on the news after one too many wines!

I agree with 21, too many people are irresponsible with alcohol.

I think 21 of age would be a legal age to drink any type of alcohol you want.

lots of people on their bandwaggons. the question was... what should the age be? let's try 21...again...

they should leave it at 21 but let them know why and the effects of alcohol on their body and brain. Also let them know that it might impair them when it comes to their goals when they grow up enough to get a job or a career in anthing that may want to become. Then the decision would be left up to them maybe they will see that alchol and drugs might not be as good as it might look like to some of the people they know

21

They are a minor until they are 18 so if they are considered to be adults at that age they then should be able to. Some are responsible enough others aren't at that age unfortunately. Personally I think it is too young but again it sometimes depends on their upbringing as to how they will handle it.

No it should not be any younger. Let the young grow up with healthier options like juice and sports. It might cause them to drink more if encouraged too early. Many these days are experiencing mental health issues and this might cause them to use alcohol more. No it is not a wise to reduce the age instead increase the age to 21 years.

It doesn't matter 18 or 21 they still drink under age some parents supply the grog

old enough to see over the bar

I think the drinking age (regardlessly of age - nobody actually handles drinking at any age), the voting age (should be the same age as when you are eligible to be drafted), the draft age - being eligible to be draft (with your life being at risk during wartime - except for the RICH - right now in the USA - volunteer armed forces) - the driving age with a driving license - and the smoking age (regardlessly of age - nobody actually handles smoking) - all five issues - your age to qualify for all five of things - should be the same! I am PERSONALLY comfortable with the age of 18! Edited 12-Nov-21 10:00am

Teens will do it anyway, wether legal or not. I know I did sneak when I was 16, many years ago lol

During my young life the age was 21 here in Australia, however, when our boys went to fight in Vietnam they could shoot a gun and kill someone but not allowed to go into a hotel. I forget when the age was dropped to 18 and although there are people who think this is too young they must remember they can drive a car, vote and go to war at that age and if we think they are old enough to do that then we should also let them drink if they wish, however, I think it is up to the parents to educate their young ones on how to behave and drink wisely i.e. not to the point of over the limit. Younger than 18 is not a good idea at all.

I think it should be at least 20. Young people are so irresponsible at least past their teens they have a few more years to mature.

I don't see why anyone should have to be introduced to alcohol? It is not something that is necessary in life as far as I am concerned - it causes more chaos in the world than good. By my comment it is obvious that I don't drink but even so that is my opinion. (I actually hate the taste of alcohol so I have never been tempted)Edited 12-Nov-21 00:10am

It is 21 in the USA. Just leave it there. If they are going to drink, they will find a way to get alcohol.

I think we should go back to a drinking age of 21. Young brains are too susceptible to alcohol. And I hate to see on tv these young people so drunk!