By Amy Looker
DrinkWise Australia has announced a partnership agreement with the Sport Australia Hall of Fame to promote a safer drinking culture in Australia.
The three year agreement will see the two organisations collaborating help spread messages about responsible drinking, in particular the importance of delaying the age at which teens first drink alcohol.
“The Sport Australia Hall of Fame is proud to partner with DrinkWise Australia in this important initiative that we believe can have a positive affect on young Australians,” said chairman and yachting legend, John Bertrand AM.
“As part of the partnership, our members, such as Olympic Gold medalists Susie O’Neill and Mike McKay, will give their time as ambassadors to DrinkWise Australia to assist in communicating the message to parents around the country that kids and alcohol don’t mix."
DrinkWise Chair, Trish Worth, said that the alliance would bring invaluable opportunities to extend the reach of DrinkWise’s message into Australian communities, particularly community-based sporting clubs.
“We recognise that elite sport stars represent important role models for teens and that parents often seek advice from sporting coaches and senior players in relation to their children," she said. "So part of our approach is to work with the Sport Australia Hall of Fame to encourage young people and their parents to re-think their attitudes and behaviours in relation to alcohol consumption."
"Together we hope to play an increasingly significant role in influencing a cultural shift in the way Australians drink, so that the next generation of drinkers will view intoxication as unhealthy and socially unacceptable,” Worth said.