I rise this afternoon to talk about the very serious issue of alcohol misuse and the resultant escalation in violent incidents such as assaults and glassings. The Queensland government is continuing to take action to address this issue on two fronts: through our program of reforms to the liquor industry and the recently announced parliamentary inquiry.

Binge drinking has become an unfortunate blemish on the Queensland pub and club scene. Reports of incidents of alcohol fuelled violence-including pub brawls, assaults, glassings and the relatively new phenomenon of drink walking-are on the increase around the state. On 20 July 2009, the Premier announced an intention to replace glass in high-risk premises with glass alternatives, such as tempered, plastic or acrylic glasses. Licensed premises are deemed high risk if they trade beyond 3 am, trade beyond midnight and have experienced repeated or significant violent incidents, regularly provide substantial entertainment or have been assessed as high risk following consultation with the Queensland Police Service. Any licensee whose business meets any or all of these criteria may be considered in the glass ban, including restaurants. More than 70 licensed premises in the Brisbane region have been identified as high risk, with the vast majority of those in the Brisbane CBD and Fortitude Valley area.

Last week the Courier-Mail ran a front-page story about the glassings and included references to the Pine Rivers United Sports Club in my electorate, the imputation being that it was a high-risk and dangerous venue. Nothing could be further from the truth. I understand the Pine Rivers United Sports Club was included in the list because technically the club met the criteria due to the approval of a one-off extended trading hours permit to 4 am so club members can watch the FA Cup Final on the big screen. They do not meet any of the other criteria at all.

The Pine Rivers United Sports Club is a family club with players from three years to seniors. I have attended the club on many occasions and have no hesitation in bringing my family with me. All the members are well behaved and are supportive of one another. It is a really great club. Once a year they apply for a late licence and it is supported by the local police, because they know how responsible the club management is, how well run the club is, and the fact that the members are well behaved at the venue.

I attended their end-of-year celebration last year and was very impressed with the young people’s obvious enthusiasm and love for the game of football and their respectful behaviour to one another and the football club organisers. I have spoken to the minister about my concerns about the way my local club has been lumped in with habitual late-night traders who have experienced incidents of violence, and he has stated that that was not his intention.

I am advised that in the case of the Pine Rivers United Sports Club, despite meeting the late trading criteria, the club’s history as a responsible licensee will not require it to convert its glassware, and that the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation will take a common-sense approach in implementing the new changes.

The Queensland government is committed to addressing the issue of alcohol related violence and will continue to promote harm minimisation measures in all licensed venues. We are determined to stamp out the ugly issues of violence and poor behaviour by patrons at late-night clubs and are hopeful that our education campaigns will also help young people in learning to use alcohol responsibly and to take care of themselves and their friends.