students all over Queensland will be finishing high school next week, and I congratulate them on this
amazing milestone. I would, however, like to plead with these students and their parents to be
responsible when it comes to the supply and consumption of alcohol. There will be a wide range of
Queensland government, council and industry led entertainment programs that will provide an excellent
opportunity to celebrate without alcohol.
It is of great concern to the Bligh government that 67 per cent of the teenagers who are assaulted
or abused are under the influence of alcohol. It would be grossly negligent for us not to take a tough
stance on this issue in order to protect young Queenslanders.
OLGR is currently running television and print advertisements—the Don’t Kid Yourself
advertisement—in the lead-up to schoolies to remind parents of the dangers of providing under-age
teens with alcohol. The campaign was highly successful last year, with a noticeable drop in the number
of intoxicated school leavers wandering the streets at Gold Coast schoolies.
As a government and as a community, we are currently dealing with a dangerous drinking culture
that has emerged in our society. I encourage parents not to promote this culture and to make a stand by
not breaking the law by supplying alcohol to their children. Unfortunately, there are still some parents
who believe that it is okay to supply their under-age children with alcohol during schoolies. These
parents face an $8,000 fine.
Police and Liquor Licensing officers will also be out in force at this year’s schoolies celebrations
looking for under-age drinking and the irresponsible supply of alcohol to minors by parents. Between 20
November and 29 November, compliance officers from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation will
visit schoolies hot spots around the state. They will be checking venues to see if they have responsible
service of alcohol practices and appropriate security measures to check ID and to monitor crowds. They
will also be watching out for drinking in public places and the unlawful supply of alcohol to our minors.
This government will not tolerate under-age drinking and the physical and emotional harm that often
comes with it.
