Friends of two Melbourne teenagers who died after drinking alcohol tainted with methanol while overseas last year say a new safety campaign by the Australian government is an important step forward.
Holly Bowels and Bianca Jones were among six people who died after drinking alcohol tainted with methanol in the tourist town of Vang Vieng in November.
On Monday, the Australian government launched a new safety campaign to raise awareness of the risks of drinking alcohol overseas.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said the families of the 19-year-olds were at the forefront of her mind while developing the campaign.
“We want our children to be curious and explore the world — but above all else, we want them to be safe,” she said.
“These efforts will help young Australians travelling overseas to protect themselves from methanol poisoning, drinking spiking and other alcohol harms.”
The Smartraveller website will host resources from next month to educate Australians of the signs of methanol poisoning, how to protect themselves from drink spiking as well as on broader alcohol safety.
Smartraveller is an Australian government website used by travellers to search for official safety advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) about any risk in the country being visited, whether it be security, health, local laws or natural disasters.
Young travellers will also receive alerts on social media, text messages and see educational signage at international airports.
The safety push will ramp up later in the year with a new advertising campaign launched through social media channels ahead of schoolies.
Protecting young people from future harm
Liv Davis described her friend Bianca Jones as “one of the most amazing people”.
She said the death of 19-year-old had had a profound impact on her life.
“It will forever stick with me and change the way I view everything. Everything just feels a lot less safe,” Ms Davis said.