Preparations underway on the Gold Coast ahead of annual schoolies celebrations

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Thousands of school leavers are arriving on the Gold Coast for the annual schoolies celebrations. This year, pill testing services will be available for the first time.

Transcript

00:00As you can see, we've got gorgeous Gold Coast weather here today.

00:07Ready to welcome 15,000 expected school leavers to the city.

00:14This night is the first night of celebrations for those 17 and 18-year-olds who've finished

00:21their exams and are ready to blow off some steam.

00:25This weekend and into the next week is the Queensland leg of schoolies.

00:30The following week, about 5,000 to 10,000 school leavers from interstate, mainly New

00:36South Wales and Victoria, are expected here.

00:41And I'm sure there's plenty of 17 and 18-year-olds in the car, in planes here this morning, getting

00:47pretty excited for what's to come.

00:50It's a pretty slick operation here on the Gold Coast compared to, say, 10 to 15 years

00:57ago.

00:58Police have actually told us that schoolies in the last few years have been pretty relatively

01:04well behaved compared to, say, in the 90s.

01:08And it's mainly a ticketed event where schoolies have under-18s or over-18s wristbands.

01:15They can go and see DJs on the beach.

01:18And there's lots of support as well from organisations like Red Frogs to make sure

01:24they're well looked after.

01:25And I'm sure that's welcome news to some nervous parents watching today.

01:30This will be the first year that pill testing will be available on the Gold Coast for schoolies.

01:37It was actually opposed by Premier David Crisafulli prior to his election, but due to some contractual

01:45hangovers, the new LNP government has decided they'll have to go ahead with the pill testing

01:53here.

01:54So any of the school leavers will be able to walk into the pill testing tent along the

01:59Esplanade at Surfers, get their drugs tested, and then they'll have a chat to a GP or health

02:07professional to chat through whether they're on medication and whether what they have is

02:12safe.

02:13Parents have told us they're not involved in the operation whatsoever and they'll be

02:17staying well away from that tent so that schoolies feel safe.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended