Disclaimer: CSA is supported by the Australian Government, Attorney Generals Department. The department does not
endorse, by default or specifically, corporate CSA initiatives and arrangements.
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MEDIA ALERT – 15 NOVEMBER 2009
BWS and Crime Stoppers Crack Down on
Underage Drinking in Queensland
What: Launch of QLD campaign to deter underage drinking
When: 11am, Sunday 15th November, 2009
Who: Shane Tremble, BWS
Peter Price, Crime Stoppers
Where: BWS, Cnr Hanlan St & Gold Coast Highway, Surfers Paradise
Liquor store chains BWS and Dan Murphy’s are upping the ante in the fight against underage drinking
by enlisting the support of Crime Stoppers to help discourage the incidence of adults buying alcohol
for minors.
In the run-up to Schoolies, all BWS and Dan Murphy’s stores in Queensland will prompt customers to
actually call Crime Stoppers if they believe an adult has bought liquor for someone under the age of
18. Fines of up to $25,000 and 12 months imprisonment can apply. Warnings will be highly visible,
with posters featuring the Crime Stoppers logo plastered throughout the stores.
The secondary supply of liquor to minors is a significant issue for liquor retailers. According to
research conducted by the Cancer Council of Victoria in 2006*, the majority of underage drinkers
obtain alcohol from an older friend or even a parent.
Disclaimer: CSA is supported by the Australian Government, Attorney Generals Department. The department does not
endorse, by default or specifically, corporate CSA initiatives and arrangements.
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BWS Head of Licensing Shane Tremble says: “We know that very few underage drinkers actually
attempt to buy alcohol themselves, preferring to ask others to buy it for them instead. With 325 stores
in Queensland, BWS and Dan Murphy’s are very serious about tackling this issue head-on which is
why we’re taking the radical step of asking people to anonymously, report culprits breaking the law,
to Crime Stoppers. This might seem harsh but we need to have a serious deterrent if we’re going to
curtail underage drinking.”
Peter Price, Chairman of Crime Stoppers Australia said “buying alcohol for minors might seem like a
generous and affectionate gesture but it can land the adult a criminal record. In cases like this, these
gestures may create more harm than good. Having the Crime Stoppers association really reinforces the
fact that secondary supply is a crime with consequences.”
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Contacts:
BWS/Dan Murphy’s, Clare Buchanan, 0404 829033
Peter Price OAM, Chairman Crime Stoppers Australia, 0417 99 66 00
Email: executive@crimestoppers.com.au
* Australian Secondary School Students’ Use of Alcohol in 2005, Cancer Council of Victoria report prepared for the Drug
Strategy Branch, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
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71% of respondents aged 12 – 17 who consume alcohol usually ask a friend over the
age of 18 to purchase it for them.
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37% of respondents aged 12.-17 cited ‘parents’ as the most common source of alcohol
NEWS 
