'Stay safe': Drink-spiking victim raising awareness of under-reported crime

Drink spiking was at the centre of discussions during an event headlined by a victim and anti-spiking advocate in Wagga on Friday.

The city's Community Drug Action Team (CDAT) partnered with renowned advocate and founder of What Were You Wearing Australia Sarah Williams and Wagga City Council to host the Stop Drink Spiking In Our Communities workshop.

The workshop aimed to provide information and education on drink spiking in a bid to prevent the crime that often flies under the radar.

A victim of drink spiking herself, Miss Williams said it was important the community was educated and informed of the issue, including the symptoms people should look out for and what they should do if they were spiked.

"I'm a victim of drink spiking myself and since telling my story we have probably had thousands of people come to us with their stories," she said.

"Our not-for-profit fights to end sexual violence and drink spiking plays a big part in that.

"One-third of drink spiking [incidents] ends in sexual assault.

"Because we have had so many people open up to us about drink spiking we have come to realise just how big of an issue it is."

Miss Williams said there were several changes she would like to see made to help combat drink spiking.

"Venues need to be taking reports because at the moment they don't have to and if a venue doesn't report it, it doesn't help victims when they report the incident to police," she said.

"I also want to end victim blaming, people need to stop asking those questions, how much did you have to drink, why did you leave your drink unattended."

In 2023, Miss Williams was part of a petition which accumulated more than 20,000 signatures and was successful in getting the NSW government to bring in new rules for attaining a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate.

Everyone who gets an RSA will now receive education around drink spiking.

CDAT community development officer Louise Graham said they were running workshops all over the state as the problem wasn't isolated to a specific location.

"Drink spiking is happening everywhere, it's not just one particular venue and we want to get the education and information out to every community," she said.

"It is every venue's responsibility to put up signage, educate their staff and show that duty of care."

Wagga City Council community development coordinator Alex Osgood said drink spiking was a crime that often goes under-reported.

"We know we have a lot of new young residents heading out to venues and university students returning to our community," she said.

"It's about raising awareness and working as a community to keep everyone safe."

If you are a victim of sexual assault help can be accessed by calling ReachOut Australia on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)