Promising Practice Programs

The target audiences for this campaign include:

• Women, primarily between the ages of 18 and 30 years
• Males, primarily between the ages of 18 and 30 years, and
• Bar and security staff of licensed venues.

The State-wide Drink Spiking Community Education Campaign, funded through the Victorian Law Enforcement Drug Fund and developed by Convenience Advertising, disseminates educational messages to patrons in over 130 selected licensed venues (hotels, nightclubs and bars), in metropolitan and regional Victoria on the dangers and other harms associated with drink spiking.

The campaign also includes a message for bar and security staff of licensed venues, with information advising them what to look out for and what to do in the event of a drink spiking incident.

The project specifically aims to:

• Raise awareness about drink spiking (whether via illicit drug, licit drug or unrequested extra alcohol) and the related harms associated with drink spiking (sexual assault, rape, assault, theft, personal injury, illness, etc) in participating venues State-wide;
• Increase awareness of and encourage the adoption of protective/preventative practices, behaviours and responsibility in social settings;
• Encourage reporting of drink spiking incidents;
• Increase access for victims of drink spiking to services for support, counselling and treatment;
• Develop a standard resource that can be utilised to establish practical guidelines for industry and services in relation to management of the drink spiking issue. It is anticipated these guidelines will be adopted as part of 'Responsible Service of Alcohol' (RSA) and staff training/accreditation; and
• Facilitate cross-agency dissemination of information regarding drink spiking and responsive measures.

Campaign messages have been developed for each of the three target audiences and are installed in over 500 display points in the bathrooms and staff areas of participating venues.

It is estimated that the campaign reaches approximately 266,655 patron visits each week across Victoria.

A "take-away" brochure, which is enclosed in holders attached to the message targetting women, provides additional information on what to look out for, how to help someone they believe has been spiked and further important steps and tips relating to drink spiking.

These cards are refilled fortnightly and "take-up" recorded.

• The messages are monitored and maintained fortnightly through Convenience Advertising’s maintenance system. Any responses to the campaign generated either through graffiti or comments from venue owners and staff, are regularly reported to stakeholders. This system allows for responsive monitoring and review of the campaign throughout its duration.
• The Drink Spiking Community Education Campaign also includes a secondary component, incorporating the development of a standard resource for security personnel in relation to dealing with drink spiking incidents.
• Takes account of contemporary research and practice developments in the field of sexual assault.
• Positions diversity as key to the development, understanding and delivery of good practice models.
• Contributes to improving systems' responses to sexual assault, and is directed at preventing sexual assault.
• Has a clearly defined conceptual framework.
• Includes processes of accountability and evaluation.
• Demonstrates a capacity for replication (i.e. other services/organisations could adapt/re-model the program for their use).

The current Drink Spiking Community Education Campaign expands on the previous 'Keep an Eye Open' Campaign, which was implemented in 2002 in select venues in the Cities of Melbourne and Greater Bendigo.

The campaign aims to increase awareness in the community about the illegality of drink spiking and the harms and risks associated with drink spiking.

It also aims to increase reporting of drink spiking incidents and encourage protective behaviours amongst venue staff and patrons.

The campaign draws upon the evaluation findings of the previous 'Keep an Eye Open' Drink Spiking Campaign, which was funded by the Victorian Law Enforcement Drug Fund in 2002.

The 'Keep an Eye Open' Campaign was based on the CASA House report: "The Right to Party Safely". This report revealed that 21.3% of sexual assaults in Australia are occurring at or around licensed premises.

Furthermore, it found that of the 91 women who contacted CASA House between December 2000 and 2002 reporting sexual assault after leaving or being at a licensed premises, 44 of those 91 suspected that their drinks had been drugged or spiked.

The current campaign was also influenced by the Commonwealth's interest in this issue through their National Drink Spiking Project.

The campaign has also been influenced by findings of the WA Police in-venue drink spiking campaign, also conducted by Convenience Advertising.