• Respect

    Tips and advice to help you act responsibly and with respect during Schoolies.

  • The Law

    Make sure you’re aware of the relevant laws wherever you to choose to celebrate your Schoolies.

  • Accommodation

    Rights and responsibilities when it comes to your Schoolies accommodation.

During Schoolies, there will be many police and compliance officers (often in plain clothing) out and about. At any time, they can ask to look inside your bag, sniff your drink bottles or ask you to present your photo ID.

What you do at Schoolies can affect your future. If you're convicted of a criminal offence, you could have difficulty getting a job and it may even prevent you from being allowed to travel overseas. Remember, good choices make great futures.

Alcohol and the law

You might know that it's against the law to drink alcohol under the age of 18 but did you know it's illegal to drink in public no matter what your age?! It's also an offence to be drunk in a public place. These are the laws for all of Queensland - not just during Schoolies.

Every year, hundreds of fines are handed out and school leavers taken in to custody and ultimately, some futures ruined. Don't become a statistic.

What are the laws in Queensland?

  • you must be over 18 years of age to enter a licensed venue or purchase alcohol
  • it’s against the law for any person to drink alcohol in a public place
  • it’s an offence to be drunk in a public place
  • it’s against the law for a person under 18 to buy alcohol
  • it’s an offence to supply alcohol to someone under the age of 18
  • if you are under 18, you can’t carry alcohol in public (even if you’re holding it for a mate whilst he does up his shoe lace).

You can be fined in Queensland for:

  • drinking in a public place: $154*
  • underage drinking or possession of liquor in a public place, even if you're holding a drink for your friend who is over 18: $464*
  • being under 18 and found on licensed premises: $464*

You may be fined on the spot or you could be taken to court and fined for each offence you commit.

*Fines correct at time of publishing however they may increase.

If you’re 18 and you supply alcohol to your underage mates, you could face a fine of $1,238 (with a maximum up to $12,320).

You can read more about on-the-spot fines and what to do if you receive an on-the-spot fine.

Drugs and the law

Possession and the trafficking of illicit drugs is illegal. During Schoolies, police can search you for illegal drugs if they have cause to suspect that you have some in your possession. In Queensland, the laws and penalties surrounding drugs can be harsh. If you are charged with an offence, it’s bound to affect your chances of travelling overseas, future job prospects as well as negatively impact relationships with your family and friends.

Avoiding drugs is the best way to protect your future and to ensure your Schoolies is memorable for all the right reasons.

What are the laws in Queensland?

  • possessing or supplying others with illegal drugs is a serious criminal offence
  • possessing a device that is used for smoking cannabis is an offence (e.g. bong, pipe or needle)
  • selling or supplying tobacco to someone under the age of 18 years is an offence
  • driving or being in charge of a vehicle under the influence of drugs is illegal
  • it is an offence to give someone prescription drugs other than as prescribed

If you are caught committing a drug offence, you will be dealt with in the criminal justice system.

Distributing intimate images

It is a crime in Queensland to share an intimate image of someone without their consent in a way that could reasonably cause distress to the other person. An intimate image is defined under the new laws, and includes a photograph or video of a person or digitally altered images.

While often referred to as ‘revenge porn’, sharing an intimate image without consent covers many behaviours and they are not always motivated by revenge.

It doesn’t matter if an image was originally taken with consent. If someone gave you the image or gave you permission to see the image, it does not mean they have agreed to anyone else seeing it.

If someone sends you an intimate image, don’t show it to anyone else without their willing consent—you cannot pressure them into agreeing.

Under 16s

If the person in the image is under 16, the law says it is never ok to share that image.

Even if the person has told you it’s ok to share, Queensland laws say a person under 16 cannot consent to an intimate image of them being shared.

Penalty

The maximum penalty for sharing or threatening to share an intimate image without consent is 3 years in prison.

The courts can also order people who share the images—or even threaten to share the images—to take reasonable action to remove, destroy or delete them.

If someone has shared or is threatening to share an intimate image of you or someone you know, you can:

Identification

Don't fake it! It's illegal to use someone else's ID or make a fake ID. If caught, you face being taken to court, your ID being confiscated and fined on the spot.

  • if you use a friend's ID you may be fined $619* on the spot.
  • if you lend your ID to a friend you may be fined up to $774* and the ID may be confiscated on the spot.

You may be fined on the spot or you could be taken to court and fined for each offence you commit.

*Fines correct at time of publishing however they may increase.