Media Release: Safe Partying Australia
While welcoming any action to remedy out-of-control teen events, Safe Partying Australia (SPA) sees the WA Parliament’s recent proposal as merely a ‘band-aid’ response.
SPA founder and former policewoman Naomi Oakley says, ‘This is a knee-jerk reaction to a community problem that requires far more. Extra brawler vans and a $12,000 fine for letting a party get out of control will not teach parents how to plan events. We need a proactive, preventative approach to this escalating issue.’
For over two years, SPA has campaigned for new laws to protect teens at parties. Having personally managed 700+ such events, Oakley has evolved a method to ensure every party has minimal issues and guests get home alive. Her Safe Event Laws submission details a planned, end-to-end approach to teen parties that includes:
- A step-by-step process for parents to manage a teen party and honour their duty of care to guests, security staff, emergency services, neighbours and the community.
- A workable ratio of responsible adults to teens.
- Responsible serving of alcohol. (In WA alone, 1000 kids have been admitted to hospital for alcohol abuse.)
- A new offence of gatecrasher. Currently nothing is in place to deter intruders. Oakley had 30 at a party last Friday. Not one was charged with anything.
- A new offence of advertising someone else’s party via social media or mobile device.
- Home / venue safety.
- Police notification of events.
To complement these proposed laws, Oakley recommends a comprehensive education campaign for all stakeholders:
Police: In her many reports to police, Oakley has flagged the need to patrol at the early stages of alcohol-free events (to stop kids gorging on liquor before entering) and at ‘gatecrasher time’ (9-11 pm). She recommends a new Police Academy curriculum module to keep members abreast of modern party issues.
Security Trainers: Oakley says that teen parties are the most volatile and unpredictable, that inexperienced crowd controllers do more harm than good and that security staff must be up-skilled to deal with these events. She wants a security training module that covers theory and practice because: ‘At present, staff merely get a ten-minute chat – if that.’
Community: SPA’s data show that 90% of teen parties go out of control because BYO alcohol is not managed. Oakley wants to target parents and teens via schools and sporting groups to impart practical party planning skills.
Councils: Venue managers must also be trained to ask the right questions of prospective hirers.
SPA is even developing a downloadable ‘app’ to help parents to plan a party step by step.
According to Oakley, ‘There’s no shortage of solutions, merely the will to implement them. How much more damage, injury and death will it take before people finally see sense?!’
Safe Partying Australia Ltd. A not-for-profit corporation limited by guarantee.
PO BOX 565 Yarra Glen VIC 3775. ABN 61 147 325 264.
M. 0417 363 742. T. 03 9739 7255. W. www.safepartying.com.au
