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PDF printable version of Grants Announced to Fight Youth Binge Drinking (PDF 38 KB)

Joint Media Release

The Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing
Minister for Social Inclusion

The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
Member for Kingston

10 February 2012

The Gillard Government is continuing its fight against youth binge drinking armed with $10 million to fund 26 community level projects across Australia.

The projects will receive funding of up to $500,000 each in the third round of grants under the Community Level Initiative—part of the Labor Government’s National Binge Drinking Strategy to help combat risky drinking.

Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler today joined Federal MP for Kingston, Amanda Rishworth and youth workers at Re-Engage Youth Services in Christies Beach, South Australia, to announce the funding recipients.

“Fighting risky drinking, particularly among young people, remains a priority for the Government,” Mr Butler said.

“With around one in six young people aged 14 or older putting themselves at risk of alcohol-related injury from a single drinking occasion at least once a week, it is obvious that we must find new ways of reducing such harmful behaviour.

“Binge drinking is a community-wide problem and the solution lies in community-supported, grassroots projects, and especially those which encourage young people to take more responsibility for their own actions.

“Local communities know best what activities will and won’t work, and these grants will empower grassroots groups to form strong partnerships within their communities and deliver local solutions to tackle binge drinking.”

Ms Rishworth welcomed the funding for the Southern Adelaide and the Fleurieu peninsula communities.

"The staff at Re-Engage provide excellent support services to over 250 young people and their families in the Southern region and almost 400 young people and their families across South Australia, and I’m so pleased the Government will be supporting their important work into the future,” Ms Rishworth said.

“The Re-Engage project is innovative and will support our whole-of-community effort to delay the the onset of alcohol consumption and reduce binge drinking.”

A snapshot of the projects being funded include:

• Re-Engage Youth Services, will receive $497,445 to run alcohol-free youth events and use social media, art and a phone application to deliver health promotion messages in the communities of Marion and Onkaparinga where youth binge drinking is a significant social health issue.
• The Gap Youth Centre Aboriginal Corporation will receive $500,000 for the Off The Street project, which will provide a safe alcohol-free entertainment venue for young people on Saturday nights in Alice Springs.
• CuriousWorks will receive $95,439 for the Western Sydney Alcohol Awareness Video Initiative, which will provide education and skills training for young people in the Penrith area as they develop and produce videos promoting the harms of binge drinking for their peers.

The 26 grants will be administered by the new Australian National Preventive Health Agency. Projects are expected to commence in early 2012.

Details of the successful projects are attached.

For all inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7280

Background

• The 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found:
  • One in five people aged 14 years or older consumed alcohol at a level that put them at risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury over their lifetime.
  • Those aged between 18-29 years were more likely than any other age group to consume alcohol in quantities that placed them at risk of an alcohol-related injury, and of alcohol-related harm over their lifetime.

Location of Project	Project
Alice Springs	Gap Youth Centre Aboriginal Corporation (NT) – $500,000 for the Off The Street project. The project will provide a safe alcohol-free entertainment venue for young people on Saturday nights in Alice Springs.
Balga, Kwinana, Mandurah, Bunbury, Northam, Katanning, Kellerberrin	David Wirrpanda Foundation Inc. (WA) – $500,000 for the Gwabba Yorga – Gabba Warra project. The program is aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls 12-17 years engaged through netball competitions in Perth and a number of regional Western Australian towns.
Melbourne	The Salvation Army Melbourne Project 614 (VIC) – $495,000 for the Youth Street Teams project. The project will employ a multi-faceted early intervention approach to address high-risk activities and the harms associated with young people binge drinking in Melbourne’s Central Business District.
Palmerston, Darwin	Anglicare NT (NT) – $300,000 for the Imagine, Create, Inspire project. The project is an innovative youth engagement and awareness project using peer education strategies and social media to encourage healthier behaviours in Darwin and Palmerston.
Normanton and Karumba	Carpentaria Shire Council (QLD) – $493,000 for the Carpentaria Shire Interagency Binge Drinking Working Group – Community Initiative to Combat Binge Drinking in Youth project. The project will strengthen agency and community networks in Normanton and Karumba to increase participation in social, cultural and sporting activities.
Victoria wide	Incolink (VIC) – $300,000 for the Drink Safe Mate project. The project will target 8,000 young workers in the Victorian building and construction industry through health education and capacity building approaches.
Cape York, Napranum, Mapoon, Aurukun, Doomadgee and Mornington Island, Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw, Hopevale, Lockhart River, Wujal, Wujal	Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media Aboriginal Corporation (QLD) – $255,610 for the In Our Own Words: young people working together to address binge drinking in remote Aboriginal communities in Queensland project. The project will being young Indigenous people from remote Cape York and Gulf of Carpentaria communities together to produce a series of radio programs for their local communities addressing the issues of binge drinking.
Cities of Marion and Onkaparinga	Re-engage Youth Services (SA) – $497,445 for the Southern Collaborative Response to Binge Drinking project. The project will provide alcohol-free events and use social media to deliver health promotion messages in the communities of Marion and Onkaparinga.
Mitchell Shire LGA, Broadford, Wallan, Seymour	Mitchell Community Health Service (VIC) – $500,000 for the Whenever You’re Likely To Drink project. The project aims to develop a coordinated community response to raise awareness of the health risks caused by binge drinking in the Hume communities of Broadford, Wallan and Seymour.
Melton, Taylors Hill	Melton Shire Council (VIC) – $287,282 for the Saturday Nights!! Live!! project. The program will provide a weekly range of alcohol-free events for young people in the Melton and Taylors Hill communities while using peer educators to raise awareness of the harms associated with binge drinking.
Kingston, Manuka, Canberra City, Braddon, Dickson, Belconnen and Woden	The Youth Coalition of the ACT (ACT) – $490,594 for the Champions ACT project. The project will increase awareness of alcohol related harm in young people who access entertainment precincts and licensed venues across Canberra.
Kalgoorlie - Boulder	Eastern Goldfields YMCA Inc (WA) – $424,879 for the Stronger Communities project. The project will provide a whole of community preventive approach to binge drinking in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Mareeba	Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Medical Centre (QLD) – $280,908 for the Mareeba Young and Awesome: makin’ music, makin’ moves, makin’ over and makin’ out project. The project will provide a wide range of community activities and skills development for young Indigenous Australians in this rural Queensland community.
Wyndham	Ngnowar Aerwah Aboriginal Corporation (WA) – $300,000 for the Wyndham Youth Reconnect project. The project will target at-risk local youth by providing health education programs and alternative recreation activities.
Kelso, Bathurst and surrounding villages	Bathurst Regional Council (NSW) – $495,071 for the SMARTS – Smashed Arts project. The program will engage young people in the Bathurst region by providing health education messages and alternative entertainment opportunities.
St Marys, Penrith, Mount Druitt	CuriousWorks (NSW) – $95,439 for the Western Sydney Alcohol Awareness Video Initiative project. The project will provide education and skills training for young people in the Penrith area as they develop and produce videos promoting the harms of binge drinking for their peers.
Adelaide CBD (West End)	Adelaide City Council (SA) – $151,018 for the Green Team West End Youth project. The project will extend the voluntary street outreach program currently conducted during Schoolies Week at Victor Harbour to a Saturday night presence in Adelaide’s CBD.
Victoria	Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (VIC) – $492,267 for the Healthy Lives, Health Futures project. The project takes a community development approach across Victoria to improve the capacity of young people from immigrant and refugee backgrounds to reduce their risk of alcohol-related harm.
Cloncurry, Mt Isa	Cloncurry PCYC (QLD) – $278,981 for the Chill Out project. The project will provide a local solution to binge drinking in Cloncurry and Mt Isa through health awareness sessions and sporting and recreation activities.
National	Mushroom Marketing Pty Ltd (National) – $500,000 for the Live Solution – Have A Better Time With Live Music project. The project will promote the enjoyment of a better live music experience by avoiding binge drinking.
Miranda and Hurstville	Shire Wide Youth Services Inc (NSW) – $500,000 for the Be A Smarty When You Party project. The project aims to reduce binge drinking through the provision of street outreach, alcohol free activities and events, and drop-in support services in the Sutherland and St George areas.
Sydney Metropolitan, Hunter Region and Far Northern NSW	Youthsafe (NSW) – $356,678 for the resilience building approach to the prevention and management of binge drinking among young workers project. The project will develop, deliver and evaluate a resilience-based binge drinking program of preventive resources and training to support apprentices and trainees in both work and community settings across Sydney, the Hunter and Far Northern NSW.
Palm Island, Barcaldine and Magnetic Island	Australian Red Cross (QLD) – $300,000 for the Binge on Life program. The program aims to provide alternative arts activities for youth on Palm Island and Central West communities to tackle the issue of binge drinking.
Grafton, South Grafton, Copmanhurst, Coutts Crossing, Yamba and Wooli	Clarence Valley Council (NSW) – $497,790 for the Eyes Wide project. The project will bring together young people, local service providers and health agencies in a model responsive to a dispersed population with limited youth services in Grafton and the regional towns of the Clarence Valley.
Leeton, Griffith, Narrandera	Leeton Shire Council (NSW) – $440,462 for the Bidgee Binge project. The project is an interactive, multi-faceted program aimed at reducing binge drinking among young people in the Leeton, Griffith and Narrandera areas.
Glenorchy (with national applicability)	Glenorchy City Council (TAS) – $248,637 for the Interactive Online project. The project will use social media to inform and educate young people on the risks and consequences of binge drinking.