The Sins of the Few: Who Benefits From the Queensland Safe Night Out Strategy?

In early October of this year, an experiment began.

The name of the experiment: the Queensland Safe Night Out Strategy.

The objective: use a carefully planned strategy to combat and curb alcohol-related violence in the Queensland nightlife, so that everyone can truly have a “safe night out.”

This strategy would include an awareness campaign that would let Queenslanders know what acceptable behaviour is and is not in entertainment venues, more severe penalties for offenders and those guilty of anti-social behavior, and an ID scanner network that would enforce a “ban from one venue, banned from all” initiative.

The Queensland Safe Night Out Strategy has received strong support from the majority of Queenslanders, and will likely change the whole atmosphere of the Queensland night scene.

So who exactly is going to benefit from the Queensland Safe Night Out Strategy? Just about everyone in the state, actually.

·         Residents of Queensland. A large percentage of Queenslanders – over 60%, to be precise – go to alcohol-serving venues at least once a month or once a week. The vast majority of these people are responsible and just looking to have an enjoyable night. However, due to alcohol-fueled violence in Queensland, authoritarian measures were considered – including mandating entertainment venues to close early. So even though most Queenslanders weren't at fault, they were being punished for the “sins of the few.” Fortunately, the Queensland Safe Night Out Strategy only goes after the offenders – no one else suffers.

·         Entertainment Venues. Since many Queensland entertainment locales are required – or have chosen – to set up ID scanning systems, the club scene has been made much safer. These venues will thus get a strong reputation for safety of the patrons – which is huge when it comes to the nightlife scene.

·         Tourists. Queensland is a hotspot tourist destination. It is home to great restaurants, excellent entertainment venues, a vibrant music scene and cultural atmosphere, and splendid weather that makes it fun to walk about at night. However, alcohol-related violence can wreck any tourist’s evening, which is certainly not a good thing – not for tourists, and not for Queensland. With the Queensland Safe Night Out Strategy, tourists will be much more drawn to Queensland and be much safer.

·         Intoxicated Individuals. Yes, even those who are intoxicated will benefit from Queensland’s action plan. One of the initiatives of the Queensland Safe Night Out Strategy is the creation of “sober safe centre's,” which will allow these individuals to sober up in a safe environment. They will be much less likely to harm themselves, and thus will be better off because of this initiative.