Page 4565 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 20 November 1991
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specific information on binge drinking, in addition to advice on where they can obtain help if necessary. Kits will be provided free of charge to people seeking information on the 24-hour telephone line. A school development in health education project operating in the Tuggeranong region will be funded under the Alcohol and Drug Service grants program. Again this is an indication that this Government is serious about attacking the problem.
A project officer will be employed to produce lessons and a teacher's guide that focuses specifically on girls aged 12 to 15 years, providing a variety of prevention strategies. The Department of Education will be funded under the Alcohol and Drug Service grants program to develop a pilot drug education program concerning underage binge drinking. The program will incorporate relevant contributions from the Australian Federal Police and will be run in schools in the Australian Capital Territory.
No single program can effectively impact on the problems of alcohol abuse amongst youth. This is about attacking the problem at its roots. These new initiatives are an important part of this comprehensive and coordinated approach. The ALP will continue to be on the front foot while in government and will implement new programs that will help solve the problems facing Canberra. The Labor Government is about responsible government, best utilising public money, and building a healthier and safer Canberra.
MR STEFANIAK, by leave: There is one thing in what the Deputy Chief Minister said which is quite correct, and that is that no single program can effectively impact on the problems of alcohol abuse amongst the young. I really wonder just how effective his program will be. There is perhaps one glimmer of hope in it, and that is educating the young, especially through some campaigns at school.
It will take a long time for that to sink in. I think that over the years and over the decades, the last two decades especially, the anti-smoking message has filtered down to some kids. Unfortunately, a lot of young girls still have not picked up that message, and that is after about 20 years of pretty good education in relation to the dangers of smoking, certainly, in the last 10 years. Maybe, over a long period - it will take more than the next 10 years - this message might get through if it is done reasonably well in the schools, where it should certainly be aimed, at kids between about 12 and 15.
I was interested to hear the Deputy Chief Minister indicate that part of the campaign will be some sponsorship through the Health Promotion Fund, under the general health area. This might well be quite sensible. I would remind him that, in dealing with the question of binge drinking and underage drinking, and promoting a healthy message to kids, especially high school age kids, he had better make sure that his fund uses the right vehicles. The best vehicles
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