Health officials in Australia have no plans to increase the legal drinking age to 21 or to restrict young people ages 18 to 21 from buying alcohol at certain establishments, the Sydney Morning Herald reported July 27.

Parts of England and Scotland soon will bar youths ages 18 to 21 from purchasing alcohol in liquor stores and supermarkets, restricting their consumption to pubs and restaurants. But Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said there are no plans to follow that approach in her country as the government seeks to remove several inconsistencies among jurisdictions in statutes affecting youth drinking.

Roxon has rejected some calls to increase the drinking age to 21, in the face of American research showing that age-21 laws reduce consumption by young people and result in fewer traffic accidents and less violence. Gino Vumbaca, executive director of the Australian National Council on Drugs, believes increasing alcohol taxes constitutes the most effective strategy for reducing binge drinking among young people.

At present there are several inconsistencies in the application of penalties for the serving of alcohol to minors in Australia. In the state of Victoria, minors may be served alcohol in a private home if they are supervised by any adult, whereas in other states a youth under 18 may receive alcohol in a home only if the individual's parent has authorized it. Monetary penalties for a licensed establishment's selling of alcohol to a minor also vary considerably from state to state.