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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2007-11-15 Daily Xml
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SCHOOLIES WEEK

The Hon. P.L. WHITE (Taylor) (15:02): My question is to the Minister for the Status of Women. Will the minister update the house about what action is being taken to alert young people about keeping safe during Schoolies Week and in the lead-up to the festive season?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Volunteers, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister Assisting in Early Childhood Development) (15:02): As we probably all know, in about a week's time an estimated 10,000 school leavers will be making their pilgrimage to Victor Harbor. The Schoolies Festival will be held from Friday 23 November to Sunday 25 November, and the government is doing its bit to try to ensure that what has increasingly become a rite of passage for young people is a safe and positive experience. We have all seen those worrying images from the Gold Coast when school leavers make their way there. We are doing our best to try to prevent those sorts of scenes occurring in South Australia. In line with previous years, various parts of Victor Harbor and Granite Island have been declared dry zones, and that will take effect from 8 o'clock on the Friday morning and be in place until 10pm on the Sunday.

For several years now, the organiser of the event, Encounter Youth, has worked in partnership with key agencies, including the Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner, Drug & Alcohol Services, SAPOL, ambulance services and young volunteers from Red Cross's Save a Mate. We all know that older people (sometimes known as toolies) often flock to this event and we want to ensure that naive or unsuspecting teenagers are not exploited or endangered by these people and left with a bitter experience, as opposed to an enjoyable one.

Drink spiking is a serious issue and one this government has taken seriously. It is estimated that approximately 3,000 to 4,000 drink spiking incidents occur a year across Australia, although it is acknowledged that this is highly underreported. Of those incidents, four out of five are women and over half of them are under 24 years of age, with a third resulting in sexual assault. Amendments to the Criminal Law Consolidation Act earlier this year mean that anyone convicted will face a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment, and I understand someone appeared in court on Monday charged with drink spiking.

It just goes to show that these laws are having some impact. It is important to understand that these penalties also apply to prank spiking—when someone does it as a prank or a lark. This year, to help raise awareness amongst schoolies about the dangers of drink spiking, colourful coasters and drink umbrellas bearing anti-drink spiking messages will be distributed. We are also issuing warnings to those who think they can get around the liquor laws by getting an adult to buy them alcohol. There is a penalty of up to $5,000 for any minor caught getting a 'toolie' to buy them alcohol. That penalty applies to both minors and any foolish adults involved in this sort of behaviour.

The Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner has placed advertisements warning of these penalties in the free schoolies magazine which will be handed out at the event. The warnings will also be on display on posters and leaflets during the event. For the second year in a row, staff from the Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner will also work with SAPOL to host a barbecue event at the beachside and Victor Harbor caravan parks next weekend and they will use this as an opportunity to reinforce the safety messages as well as providing information about alcohol and the law.

My colleague the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, the Hon. Gail Gago, and her department have also been involved in the efforts to make Schoolies Week run smoothly. She has been spreading the safe partying message with me today and she reminds us that, whilst every effort is made to try to protect young people from any type of harm at this event, they need to be alerted of the risks by their parents. Parents are best placed to make sure their children understand the risks of binge drinking and encouraging them to stay within the law.

Students planning to be in Victor Harbor for the festival should work out a clear plan to stay safe. They and their parents should know where they will be staying and who they will be mixing with. To make things easier, they can buy pre-sale festival tickets which entitle them to a free RAA sponsored bus from Adelaide to Victor Harbor and back, and these tickets also entitle students to unlimited local bus travel and entry into the supervised alcohol and drug-free entertainment area on Warland Reserve.

While young ones take this time to let their hair down and celebrate their achievements throughout the year, we want to remind them to look after themselves and their friends. We want them to have fun but, most importantly, we want them to stay safe.

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