Qld to tackle teen binge drinking crisis

The State Government will call a national forum to discuss binge drinking among young women amid escalating concerns about teenagers putting themselves at serious risk almost weekly.

The State Government will call a national forum to discuss binge drinking among young women amid escalating concerns about teenagers putting themselves at serious risk once a month.

he State Government introduced Queensland Health’s Young Women and Alcohol campaign in the light of national research that indicated 51% of Queensland women aged 18 to 22 were drinking alcohol at risky or high-risk levels compared to 41% cent in other states.

In 2002, results released from the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found females aged between 14 and 19 were almost twice as likely as males to drink at risky

or high risk levels for the long term.

The survey also found one in five females put themselves at risk in the short term at least monthly.

More than one in ten females had put themselves at risk weekly.

Queensland Minister for Liquor Licensing and Women, Margaret Keech, told State Parliament today she had raised at the Ministerial Council on the Status of Women in Hobart last week, the need for the problem of unsafe drinking among young people to be tackled at a national level.

"That's why I will be inviting all of Australia's Liquor Licensing ministers to meet in Brisbane before the end of the year to discuss possible solutions to this ongoing problem," she said.

"Queensland is already working hard to address binge drinking among young people, particularly women.

"Our strategies, which involve the Liquor Licensing Division, Queensland Health, the Office for Women and the Department of Communities are already proving extremely effecti! ve in our state, but I know more can be done.

"I believe Ministers representing the interests of women have a strong role to play in these strategies, but we need to work closely with other agencies to achieve the best possible results.

"Liquor Licensing Ministers do not have a forum where all State and Territory representatives can gather with their Federal counterpart to discuss these issues.

"I think it's vital that all Liquor Licensing Ministers share our knowledge and resources to help change a long-standing drinking culture that is killing our young people."

Mrs Keech said she would soon write to all state and territory ministers responsible for Liquor Licensing, along with the Federal representative, outlining plans for the forum.

"I believe Queensland has a lot to offer given our focus on changing the drinking culture among young people in Queensland.

"We have run a number of highly successful campaigns, including the 'Make up your own mind about drinking' series of advertisements, which I presented at the conference.

"Recent evaluations of this campaign have shown strong recall rates among young women, and the message was considered empowering rather than preaching.

"This approach could go a long way to changing a drinking culture that we are seeing develop among young Australian women.

"It might take us another generation, even two, to make that happen, but I believe we can do it if we all work together."

Originally published as Qld to tackle teen binge drinking crisis