A call by UNSW public health researchers for tougher laws for online alcohol sales has been backed by the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council Tasmania.
ATDC chief executive Alison Lai said it was important Tasmania's laws kept pace with this emerging space.
This follows new research by UNSW academics which found it was too easy for minors to buy alcohol online.
Researchers examined the sales, marketing and delivery practices of the 65 most popular online alcohol retailers in Australia.
They found Australia-wide 69 per cent of websites would leave alcohol unattended at an address without having verified the purchaser's age, 12 per cent offered delivery within two hours, 13.8 per cent allowed customers to purchase alcohol through a "buy now, pay later" scheme, about 20 per cent offered a 750mL bottle of wine for under $5, 81.5 per cent offered discounts for buying more, and there was no requirement for delivery drivers to hold a Responsible Service of Alcohol certification.
Express delivery from retailers is not yet available in Tasmania but Ms Lai said she had concerns some restaurants using Uber Eats may be delivering alcohol with meals or just alcohol.
"While there is a legislative framework in Tasmania for online alcohol sales that requires online alcohol retailers to verify a person's date of birth when purchasing online and on delivery, we would argue that the training and processes supporting delivery drivers to adhere to these requirements are not strong enough, and cannot be monitored sufficiently," Ms Lai said.
"We are aware that there is a code of conduct for online alcohol sales and delivery, which was developed by Retail Drinks Australia just under a year ago, but it is a voluntary code.
"This code of conduct includes the requirement not to leave alcohol with individuals who are intoxicated and that tailored home delivery RSA courses be provided to delivery drivers.
"But we have concerns about how well it can be enforced, if Tasmania were to follow suite with the rest of the country and introduce express sales, to ensure alcohol is not left unattended, and that ages and the intoxication levels of those receiving the deliveries are verified."
Ms Lai said, as alcohol continues to be the number one drug of concern for Tasmanians seeing treatment, reducing online access to alcohol sales was not the answer given this sales channel is only likely to grow.
"Tasmania needs to learn from the experiences of what is happening in other cities on the mainland, and ensure that we put in place the right training, systems and support processes to ensure that online alcohol sales have the same standards of RSA as we would expect in any brick and mortar site," she said.
In Tasmania it is an offence for a liquor licensee and the delivery person to deliver liquor to a person under the age of 18 years, with a maximum penalty for this offence of $3,360, and it is an offence for a person under 18 to take delivery of liquor sold online.
The state's liquor licensing regulation was amended in 2015 to increase controls over the online sale of liquor.
A government spokesperson said this included reformed provisions covering the display of the licence to sell alcohol, requirements for evidence of age and controls on delivery.
"Tasmania has a robust framework for regulating the sale of liquor and the Commissioner for Licensing has considerable powers in conditioning licences to reduce risk," the spokesperson said.
The government is in the process of reviewing Tasmania's alcohol policy with the development of a new Tasmanian Drug Strategy.
Out of this will come the next Tasmanian Alcohol Action Framework which will also be informed by the National Alcohol Strategy 2019-2028.
"Regulating the sale of liquor is a function of the states and regulators in all jurisdictions are closely monitoring developments in online sale and delivery of liquor," the spokesperson said.
"While each jurisdiction has different licensing frameworks that take account of their particular environment, regulators work closely together to address emerging issues such as those around online alcohol sales and delivery."
Emily Jarvie
Emily Jarvie is a political journalist at The Advocate and The Examiner newspapers based in Hobart, Tasmania. Contact: emily.jarvie@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Emily Jarvie is a political journalist at The Advocate and The Examiner newspapers based in Hobart, Tasmania. Contact: emily.jarvie@austcommunitymedia.com.au
