Gold Coast compliance crackdown for Schoolies

By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier

With the official Schoolies week already begun on the Gold Coast, licensed venues can expect more compliance checks for several days.

Many students across the country who have recently graduated from Year 12 of their schooling will be heading to the Gold Coast this week to let off steam. The State Government is committed to ensuring that visitors will remain safe during their festivities, by ensuring that compliance officers are more visible throughout the Schoolies period.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath said the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) would carry out integrated compliance operations during festivities.

“It’s great that young people from Queensland and interstate have this opportunity to celebrate the end of their schooling, and this government is determined to ensure they can do so in a safe environment,” Mrs D’Ath said.

“During Schoolies Week, OLGR compliance officers and the Queensland Police Service will conduct compliance checks at licensed venues and monitor public areas at Schoolies hot-spots across the state.

“Officers will be ensuring venues are complying with Responsible Service of Alcohol practices. They will also ensure minors are not being supplied with alcohol, nor possessing alcohol in public places. Fake IDs will also be targeted.”

During the official Schoolies week in 2015, the OFT performed more than 100 compliance checks, including high rise complexes and entertainment venues, and nearly 300 checks of security providers and crowd controllers. The compliance rate was 95.5 per cent.

This year’s Schoolies week runs from 19-26 November.