What your teenagers should know about safe celebration
Talking to your teenagers before they embark on their Schoolies celebrations will go a long way to ensuring they have a safe and enjoyable start to life after school.
Here are a few points to help get you started.
Talking to your teenagers before they embark on their Schoolies celebrations will go a long way to ensuring they have a safe and enjoyable start to life after school.
Health and Safety
- In an emergency, your teenagers should phone triple zero (000) or if possible locate a volunteer or police officer immediately.
- In your teenager’s mobile phone, under ‘ICE’, save the name and number of the person to be contacted In Case of Emergency.
- Make sure they know emergency contact numbers. Safety information will be available in most Schoolies’ hotel rooms.
- Establish a "check-in with home" arrangement so your teenagers contact you at least once while they are away. You should also know how to contact them.
- Encourage them to look out for each other and read any danger signs.
- Encourage your children to make plans to come home early if they are feeling at all unsafe and talk about what unsafe would mean for both of you.
- Your teenagers should ask an official volunteer for help to get home if they are alone.
- Ensure they know and you know where they are staying. They should always have enough money with them for a phone call, taxi or public transport.
- Identification is a must — your teenagers should always carry some form of ID with them.
- Explain to teenagers the importance of doing the right thing: they have the right to celebrate but it's important that they respect the fact that people live and work on the community.
Alcohol and Drugs
- Underage drinking or possession of liquor in a public place could result in a fine of up to $1875.
- It is illegal to alter an ID, including changing the date of birth, resulting in on-the-spot fines of up to $375.
- If your teenagers are underaged and they are found in licensed premises, they could be fined up to $1875.
- Drink spiking can happen — your teenagers should keep drinks with them and not accept drinks from people they don't know or trust. Drinking out of bottles or cans, rather than glass, is recommended.
- Illicit drugs have no manufacturing controls and are extremely dangerous, particularly when mixed with alcohol.
- In Queensland, 17-year-olds convicted of drug offences are tried through the adult court system — drug convictions affect employability and ability to travel overseas.
Sometimes parents choose to purchase liquor for their teenagers for Schoolies. This is not an offence, however you should consider the following:
- If your teenagers are staying at a licensed hotel or motel it is an offence for them to be in possession of liquor. There is a maximum fine of $1875.
- If you supply liquor, drinking will occur in an unsupervised environment and with other young people who may not be as responsible with liquor.
- Problems may also occur when the young people leave their accommodation units to join in other activities. If they have consumed liquor they may be fined for being drunk in a public place or drinking in a public place if they have liquor in their possession.
If you supply liquor, drinking will occur in an unsupervised environment and with other young people who may not be as responsible with liquor.
Accommodation
- Your teenagers should obtain a copy of their accommodation contract from their accommodation provider, not just the booking agent, and check the terms and conditions.
- Make sure they get a receipt if they have to pay a bond.
- If they change or cancel their booking, your teenagers may face a fee or lose their deposit.
- If the agent or owner cancels their booking, they should receive all their money back.
- If your teenagers have a dispute with the accommodation manager or booking agent, follow these steps:
- Step 1
- Check responsibilities under the booking terms and conditions, house rules and/or accommodation agreement.
- Step 2
- Try and work with the accommodation manager or booking agent to reach an agreement. Accommodation managers must have a complaint handling process in place, and a written complaint should be lodged immediately if treatment has been unfair.
- Step 3
- Call the Office of Fair Trading for advice on 13 13 04.
- Step 4
- If an agreement cannot be reached, contact the Department of Justice and Attorney-General's Alternative Dispute Resolution Branch on 1800 017 288. You should lodge a formal written complaint with the Office of Fair Trading by calling 13 13 04 or online at www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au.
If your teenagers must pay a bond they should get a receipt and claim back the bond money as soon as possible after the event.
Parents should talk among themselves, so all teenagers in a group hear the same message from their parents. Try to have contact numbers for the teenagers who are staying in the accommodation, as well as their parents' contact numbers.
What you should know about Schoolies?
The Queensland Government and many local councils are implementing a range of measures to make the week as safe as possible and provide parents with some peace of mind.
This includes:
- a highly visible police presence throughout official Schoolies precincts
- providing funding and support to a number of regions to provide activities in a safer environment
- a registration system ensuring Schoolies are clearly identifiable to volunteers and police
- improved coordination of volunteers and community-based organisations (all volunteers are required to have a Blue Card and identification when working at Schoolies)
- a campaign aimed at reinforcing liquor licensee awareness of their responsibility to restrict alcohol sales to people aged under 18
- a complaint-handling mechanism to deal with accommodation and consumer issues
- an education and awareness program for young people including school visits, wallet cards with emergency numbers and safety tips, and in-room safety information at most Schoolies hotels.
Print a list of key contacts that your teenagers should take with them to Schoolies.
Last updated: 18 July 2008
