WED 17 DEC 2014
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PROUDLY INDEPENDENT P
Trades & Services Tra Need help at your place this weekend? p.19
Straight to the point Maitland Liquor Accord launches new alcohol education campaign MELISSAH COMBER
David Gray Bound for Bluesfest
Our interview with Santa Claus p.12
A-League 2014/15 Jets defeated but on the improve p.21
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lmost 20 per cent of Maitland residents would not do a thing to keep their friends safe on a night out, a local survey has found. Commissioned by the Maitland Liquor Accord, the survey saw 532 people asked about the reasons they went to licensed venues, their transport arrangements and safety to inform the Safer Nights Out campaign, Stop a Good Night Turning Feral. Launched last week, the campaign uses images of animal heads on human bodies to encourage peer responsibility when it comes to animal-like behaviour. It also uses taglines such as, “Don’t let your mate behave like a cock,” and, “Don’t let your mate act like an ass.” Former chairperson of Maitland Liquor Accord, Geoff Perkins said that it was a very blunt message. “It will get people talking about it,” he said. “It’s high impact and should have high recognition amongst young people.” The quirky campaign also encourages people to call out their friends for bad behaviour and encourage them to act responsibly. Mr Perkins also said that some of the finding of the survey were quite alarming. These included the finding that 41 per cent, or 281, of those surveyed would pre-drink at their home or a friend’s home before going out, and of those 59 people then got behind the wheel of a car.
Central Hunter licensing officer, Senior Constable Janine Grills and Maitland Liquor Accord chairperson, Aileen Ferry, display a poster from the campaign Almost 40 per cent of those pre-drinkers came from East Maitland, Maitland and Rutherford, with the survey report recommending that more
random breath tests be conducted in those areas due the high probability of drink-drivers being on those roads.
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