New plans to battle intoxication in Surfers Paradise revealed in Safe Night Precinct meeting

A battle plan is being drawn up to handle Surfers Paradise party people who overdo it after claims drunkenness is starting earlier - but also finishing later. Full story

The hours of a Gold Coast party strip “chill-out zone” - staffed by experts caring for struggling patrons - are up for extension due to people needing help over longer timeframes. Increased operating hours of the Chill Out Zone - on Orchid Avenue in Surfers Paradise from 10.30pm to 3.45am - was a hot topic at a nightclub operators meeting this week.

The Surfers Paradise Safe Night Precinct’s (SNP) Annual General Meeting on Wednesday discussed extending Chill Out Zone hours after reports of patrons being more intoxicated earlier in the night.

A Chill Out Zone representative said they would need to request a contract variation to extend hours.

“We are government funded to do 10.30pm until 3.45am. We have noticed we’re bringing the van in and there’s a line-up of people that need support [at 10.30pm].

“Because the clubs close at 3am, we have to start packing the van at 3.30am and often we’re trying to do that and we’re still getting people coming in,” she said.

SURFERS PARADISE NIGHTCLUBS DRINK PRICE ‘HANDSHAKE’

An ambulance crew attends an incident on Surfers Paradise party strip Orchid Avenue.

The spokeswoman said she was happy to take SNP member feedback from SNP.

“I’m always flexible with hours and so are our staff but we’re set with those timeframes within our contract,” she said.

The spokeswoman said to be able to change the government-funded hours they would need written review from as many SNP stakeholders as possible.

The Chill Out Zone spokeswoman discussed her team’s response to an incident that left a young man in a coma inside a Surfers nightclub.

“If you have someone in your venue who’s unresponsive or unconscious, you’re not able to get any kind of response from them, please call an ambulance - even if you call us.

“We have seen quite a few of those this year and that’s things like king hits, drug overdoses, we have really seen a bit of a spike.

The Chill Out Zone on Orchid Avenue in Surfers Paradise which is staffed by expert who look after struggling party strip patrons. Picture: Luke Marsden.

“I did want to talk about that incident, because something it raised for us is when we’re going into venues, if the lights are down and the music is on, we can’t actually hear each other, we can’t hear AED prompts and if we have to use our [defibrillator], we can’t keep counting down for us.

“If we’re coming in and it’s pretty dicey, really appreciate if you guys could put the lights up and the music down.

“If we can move that person out of the venue we absolutely will. We know you have a business to run but we have had a few that have been really challenging environments for our staff,” she said.

Discussion about installation of Orchid Avenue lighting to direct traffic to the Orchid Avenue taxi ramp was also raised.

“[It] shouldn’t be too long, we’re just waiting on some feedback from the infrastructure custodians so urban precincts and council.

“We just have to make sure the poles we proposed do have the right power or the essentials to run through it.

“Pretty much two on the eastern side, two on the western side just to try and divert some of that traffic down there,” he said.