I will have to be careful about how I answer this question, because I don't want to give you the wrong impression about teenagers in Australia, or make any Australians think I am bashing my own country. But the truth is, many (but not all) Australian parents have a very relaxed attitude towards alcohol in general, and also when it comes to their kids drinking. I grew up in Australia, but my parents are not Australians, so I had quite a different upbringing to most of my friends. When I was in high school, my friends always went to parties on the weekends, and their parents would pick them up at three in the morning, falling over, vomiting, and the parents would think it was FUNNY. How a parent can think that their child being drunk is funny, I will never understand. Drinking is illegal for children under 18, and yet 14-18 year olds are the biggest drinkers in the country. Most of the time, teenagers have friends who are over 18, and they buy the alcohol for them. Also, most parents say that they would prefer to give the alcohol to their kids and let them drink at home, than the kids going out and drinking somewhere where they can't supervise them. As a result, they will give them alcohol at home. My 16 year old cousin went to a birthday party recently, and the boy’s mother told all the parents “It’s OK, I am buying the alcohol for the kids, and I will be home to supervise, so they will be safe.” In my opinion, this is a poor attitude to have - children should not be drinking anywhere - not at home, not at their friend's house, not anywhere. But because most Australians were raised with relaxed attitudes towards alcohol, they are passing these values onto their children. It’s sad but true. Now that I have said this, I must point out that not all Australians are like this - there is good and bad everywhere you go. I am 21 years old, and I have never been drunk in my life – though I’m probably an exception. I have even lost friends over my refusal to drink, but I would rather say goodbye to every single friend I have than just close my eyes and follow the crowd. But I hope I haven't offended anybody - I'm just reporting what I see. I'm not here to start any arguments, I'm just trying to help jaeny83 answer her question. I hope I did help you, love - sorry if this answer is longer than you wanted :)