Bendigo bottle shops stay vigilant with ID checks according to new BCHS audit
Bendigo Community Health Services has praised alcohol sale outlets for their proactive approach to stopping underage drinking.
The organisation has monitored bottle shops for the past three years as part of a Smart Generation Program and our commitment to promoting health and wellbeing in the community.
Two 18-year-olds of underage appearance visited 28 Bendigo bottle shops on two separate occasions in 2016, 2017 and 2018 to buy alcohol without proof-of-age identification.
BCHS wrote to all bottle shops after the first visit to share the results and a reminder of laws around the sale of alcohol to people under the age of 18 before repeating the process to look for any change in behaviour.
The audit found 67 per cent of outlets sold alcohol without the presentation of identification in the first two years but showed a dramatic improvement to only 30 per cent in 2018.
BCHS health promotion worker Isabel Nichol-Smith said the findings showed alcohol outlets were improving their practices.
“In the first two years we had a case where one bottle shop did the right thing and asked for the correct ID but sold the alcohol anyway when that wasn’t produced which isn’t good practice. So to see a huge improvement last year is very encouraging,” Ms Nichol-Smith said.
