Legal System in Australia

Parties

Alcohol in the party


If you supply alcohol to, or obtain alcohol from a pub or liquor store for anyone under 18 you might have to pay up to $5500 or $11,000 and/or 12 months prison in aggravated circumstances.

Medical Emergencies

If someone has passed out from taking drugs or having too much to drink, or if there is another medical emergency, you should call the ambulance on 000.




Noise Regulation :


An offensive noise is one that, by reason of its level, nature, character or quality, or the time at which it is made, or any other circumstances:

• is harmful to (or is likely to be harmful to) a person who is outside the premises from which it is emitted, or
• interferes unreasonably with (or is likely to interfere unreasonably with) the comfort or repose of a person who is outside the premises from which it is emitted, or
• that is of a level, nature, character or quality prescribed by the law or that is made at a time, or in other circumstances, prescribed by the law.

If your party is judged to be creating ‘offensive noise’, then the police can order a noise abatement direction to stop the noise. If you continue, this could lead to fines of up to $3,300 and seizure of the equipment that is making the noise for up to 28 days.


In NSW, there are restrictions for the use of musical instruments and sound systems, which are common at parties. The restricted times are:

• Sunday to Thursday 10pm to 8am
• Friday, Saturday and days followed by a public holiday: 12 am to 8am

Injuries and Damage to Property

Having a party is a lot of responsibility – you owe all your guests a duty of care, so make sure items that can injure your guests are set aside.


My Responsibilties before having a party :

• The police may be able to provide you with a poster that signifies that this is a police-registered party.
• If it is possible, get some kind of security to prevent gatecrashers coming in.
• Organise the venue so that there are only a small number of entrances and exits into the party.
• Don’t send invitations via avenues where uninvited people can have easy access to, such as Facebook or SMS.
• Don’t send open invitations and keep a guest list.
• Be sure to specify the start and finish times on your invitation.
• Have adult supervision at the venue that is proportionate to the guests you have invited. 
• Decide early on whether the party will consume alcohol or not. Specify this clearly to your guests
• Have plenty of food available, as food slows down alcohol absorption in the body. Stay clear of salty foods – which make people thirstier.
• If you decide to have alcohol, make sure adequate non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic drinks are available.
• Don’t have BYO and have one area serving all the alcohol. Make sure the area is run by a responsible adult.
• Plan how your guests will leave your party