Media Release
18 December 2012
Safe Partying Australia (SPA) is glad the WA Parliament has legislation in place to combat the carnage teenage parties are causing. SPA is deeply concerned, however, that this reactive approach will require too many resources to succeed.
According to SPA founder Naomi Oakley, ‘I’ve been told by a reliable source that WA Police staff levels have been reduced – making it extremely difficult for members to respond after the fact. Further, what’s the point of responding to a party after guests have drunk excessive alcohol, people have been injured and property has been damaged – thus putting our already stretched emergency services in harm’s way?’
‘We can’t fathom how the government has arrived at a knee-jerk reaction to a community problem that requires so much more.
‘A couple of extra brawler vans to keep troublemakers at bay won’t teach parents to plan teen events properly. Nor will a $12,000 fine for letting a party get out of control. We need a more comprehensive and enlightened approach.’
Oakley isn’t just carping. 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 recent party. 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, she 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 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?!’
