Death race 2013

Mighty quest For two years I’ve been campaigning nationally for legislative change in relation to teen parties. As the recent spate of party-related damage, injury and death clearly shows, we need solutions more than ever. Litany of loss On Wednesday, a young man home alone decided to throw this highly destructive party. On Thursday, a…

000 No!

I have enormous respect for police. I used to be one. But it’s increasingly obvious they just don’t have the resources to cope with exploding demands on their services. Here’s the latest case in point. Road rage A Saturday night ‘after-party’ in Melbourne’s outer east proved very difficult. The party home had no front fence and was…

Party Survival App arrives!

The Party Survival App is a mobile application that assists with planning a safe teenage party providing parents with a step by step guide for party planners that includes a party checklist, a venue safety checklist together with an alcohol management plan and many other features. According to Naomi Oakley a former Victorian Police member…

Happy snaps

Ever keen to improve teen party safety, my team and I have been trying innovative solutions to the gatecrasher plague. And boy, are we onto a winner! Fixed cameras are proving to be a cheap, easy yet amazingly effective deterrent for unwanted guests. Just take a look … Holding the line Here we have a…

Drugged up

If you thought bad acid went out with Woodstock, think again. Today’s LSD is called ‘Psy acid’ and your teenager may be on it. This news story backs up what my staff and I are dealing with at the coal face: hard drugs are filtering into teen events. I’m very concerned, and I want parents…

Unhappy Halloween

While Western Australia is in election mode, teen parties continue to cause havoc in the community – creating nights more terrifying than any Halloween. Yet this horror is well within our power to control. An ounce of prevention … I’ve always believed a proactive, preventative solution is far better than a passive reaction. To this…

A peek at your destiny

There are some things you just don’t want to spend money on. Insurance, dental work and red-light camera fines spring to mind. These expenses sure ain’t fun, but failing to cover them can cost you a whole lot more down the track. Unfortunately, these days, security for your party is another ‘unfun-but-necessary’ purchase. I know…

The rise of the ‘hatecrasher’

Young. Strong. Spiteful. Vicious. Terrifying. When it comes to gatecrashers, I’ve seen it all. But now I’m witnessing a new level of violence – fuelled by a blind, searing hatred of everyone and everything. This disturbing shift is so pronounced, I’m calling these intruders ‘hatecrashers’. This word isn’t in any dictionary. But if we don’t…

Why each parent should have 20 kids

As teen parties get bigger, riskier and more elaborate, host parents are finding there’s extra help at hand: other parents and responsible (i.e. mature, sober) adults. This is good news, as parents planning teen events need all the help they can get. They also need to realise some really important points. Key among these is…

100 is enough!

As our communities struggle to cope with the rise of teen parties, we now have a popularity contest: 100 guests (or more) is the new way to be cool and hip! Yes, teen parties are getting bigger. I’m now regularly speaking to parents planning 150+ guest events for kids as young as 14! Yesterday I…