Parties

Registering your party

Letting the police know about your party beforehand could help if something goes wrong., The police may be able to:

  • Help remove gatecrashers.
  • Help prevent gatecrashers by giving you a poster that indicates that your party is registered with the police
  • Tell you of relevant complaints on the phone instead of coming to the party
  • Tell your neighbours that you have notified the police and the party’s duration
  • Drive by to make sure everything is okay

    Registering your party will not automatically mean that the police come to your home. The police will not attend the registered party unless:

  • There is a specific request or
  • It is in the public interest of maintaining order and safety.

    You can notify the police by:

  • Completing a Tasmania Police Party Safe Registration Form online and submit it 7 days prior to the event, or
  • Phoning or visiting your local Police Station.

    The Registration Form can be obtained from http://www.police.tas.gov.au/security_and_safety/party_safe. The information will only be used if the police needs to respond to an incident at that party.

    Remember to tell the Police if the party gets postponed, relocated or cancelled.

    Alcohol

    At a party in a private house, it is not an offence for someone under 18 to drink alcohol, but a responsible adult should serve it and should also keep an eye on how it affects you.

    However, it is illegal to sell the alcohol or require payment as a condition of attending the party.If you are intending on having alcohol and guests under 18, it would be wise to let their parents/guardians know that there will be alcohol at this party and have a responsible adult serving the alcohol. The adults in charge of the home can have legal responsibilities for their guests.

    It is illegal to supply alcohol from a pub or liquor store to anyone under 18.

    It is also illegal for someone under 18 to consume/possess alcohol at licensed premises such as a pub, club or restaurant.

    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. 

    In the case of a drug overdose, and you don’t know whether the amount taken was damaging, you can ring Poisons Information on 131 126, anytime and anywhere in Australia for advice. Be aware that it takes a while for the symptoms of an overdose to appear, so even if the person appears to be all right, get help and advice.

    At the ambulance’s arrival, you should tell them:

  • how much the person has drunk; and
  • what substances have they taken.

    The ambulance officers do not have to call the police unless:

  • The officers are at risk of danger;
  • Someone dies; or
  • You request that the police attend.

    Noise Regulation

    The most common complaint from neighbours is the level of noise at parties. In Tasmania, it is an offence to willfully and unlawfully cause an ‘environmental nuisance’. Noise from a party will constitute an environmental nuisance when it unreasonably interferes with a person's enjoyment of the environment and it is unreasonable having regard to:

  • its volume, intensity or duration; and

    · the time, place and other circumstances in which it is emitted; and

    · in the case of noise emitted from residential premises, whether it is, or is likely to be, audible in a habitable room in any other residential premises.

    If your party is judged by the police to be creating ‘environmental nuisance’, then the police can order you to stop the noise. If you continue, this could lead to fines of up to $3,300.

    This does not limit when you can use devices such as stereos and televisions, but you must ensure that the volumes are low enough not to affect neighbours.

    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. If your guest is injured, they may be able to sue either you or your parents/guardian for negligence.

    It is also good to lock away items that are valuable, like LCD televisions or even mobile phones. Also, if one of your guests damages property (that is, outside your premises), then they will be liable under the law – regardless of how old they are.

    If however, it is found that they acted this way because of you or your parent’s breach of duty of care (eg. If you supplied alcohol to them) then you and your parents could be held responsible.

    For more information, see Law Topic: Being Sued

    Tips

    Planning is extremely important in having a successful party. Here are some common problems that arise at parties and remedies that can solve them:

    Gatecrashers and unwelcome guests

  • 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.

    Alcohol

  • 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. P plates cannot drive whilst intoxicated (their BAC is 0). Try to organise public transport, parent pickups, sleepovers or for someone who has not taken alcohol to carpool.

    For more tips on party planning visit:

  • Reach Out! at http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=2602
  • iParty at http://www.iparty.com.au/eoi-form.php
  • Partysafe at http://www.partysafetas.org/

    This page last updated September 2009

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