Staff must be 18

THEY can’t legally buy liquor but 16-year-olds could serve alcohol in restaurant bars and dining areas to overcome staff shortages, under controversial proposed changes.

The NSW Restaurant and Catering Association (R & CA), which represents 11,500 venues, wants the State Government to follow Queesland’s lead and allow minors to serve alcoholic drinks.

The association’s chief executive officer John Hart said the move would help restaurant and bar owners desperate for extra staff.

“So long as a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) course has been completed, junior staff – 16 or someone in Year 11 or 12 – should be allowed to serve booze,” he said.