By Chloe Booker and Liam Mannix
A mother with a baby says she was asked to leave a Melbourne bowling alley because licensing laws didn't allow minors in the venue.
Marion Falla says she was told she wasn't allowed to have her baby at Strike Bowling at Melbourne Central on Friday night as people under age 18 weren't permitted inside after 8pm due to liquor licensing laws.
A mother with a baby says she was asked to leave a bowling alley.
However, the venue's liquor licence says minors can be there as long as they are accompanied by a guardian.
Ms Falla turned up to the venue at 7pm with a group of eight friends.
She says she was told the baby would have to leave after 8pm, but she didn't believe this would be enforced.
"It's clearly designed to apply to minors, not babies who are going to be drinking their mother's milk," she said.
But at 8pm, she says, a security guard told her she had to leave once the baby finished feeding.
Another member staff then came over, she says, and finally the manager.
"The upshot was we left, and they refunded our game," Ms Falla said.
"Clearly she [her baby] wasn't going to be going up to the bar and trying to get served, she wasn't using fake ID, she was just having a tiny drink of milk."
Ms Falla said the staff were just doing their job.
"But the I think the policy is dumb, it's not fair," she said.
"And, it's sort of ironic that it's OK for me to take her into the pub next door and sit there with her, but it's not OK to take her into a bowling alley."
As it turns out, it's not that the law is unfair – there is no such law.
Victorian liquor laws allow people under the age of 18 to attend licensed premises so long as they have a "responsible" adult with them.
They are also permitted if they are having a meal, are staying at the venue, are employed there or are completing a training program.
"As per the conditions on the Strike Melbourne licence, a person under the age of 18 is permitted within authorised areas when in the company of a parent or legal guardian," a Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation spokeswoman said.
The Australian Breastfeeding Association's website says breastfeeding is a "protected attribute" and should be recognised as important and culturally normal.
"Discrimination on the basis of breastfeeding is illegal in the areas of: accommodation, clubs, education, employment, goods and services, selling and transferring land, and sport," it said.
The Strike Melbourne Central has been contacted for comment.