Under-18 patrons on licensed premises

A licensee must not sell alcohol to a customer if they suspect the customer will give the alcohol to a minor. This is called secondary supply.

A minor cannot be involved in the supply of alcohol, except if they are part of a VCGLR approved training program.

A minor can be employed on licensed premises to undertake duties that are not associated with the supply of liquor. These duties may include:

• preparing food
• taking orders for anything other than alcohol (a minor cannot take combined orders of food and alcohol)
• taking payment for anything other than alcohol
• clearing vessels (for example glassware, or bottles, cans etc) used for alcohol that are empty. Whether glassware that has been used for alcohol is empty is a matter of common sense. If you are unsure, staff other than minors should perform this duty.

The above list of duties is intended to be instructive only and will not cover all duties that a minor may perform on a licensed premises.

A minor can also carry packaged liquor for consumption off the premises to a person over 18 years of age, for example, a staff member who is a minor can assist carrying purchased alcohol to a customer's car. This particular duty is permitted under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998.

Duties that a minor cannot perform include:

• selling alcohol through a check-out
• serving alcohol from a bar or to/at a customer’s table
• taking orders for alcohol from a bar or at a customer’s table, including when clearing empty vessels from a table
• clearing vessels that have alcohol in them
• stocking fridges or shelves with alcohol for display to a customer.

A minor can perform logistical duties relating to the movement of sealed alcohol that is not visible to customers. This means a minor can, for example, stock shelves in storage rooms with sealed alcohol. If minors are performing this or similar duties you should ensure they are appropriately supervised by adult staff members.