Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has spoken movingly about Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, as she launched a new safety tool for young people as part of the Smartraveller website.
Jones and Bowles, both 19, tragically died from methanol poisoning in Laos in November 2024.
Following their deaths, the federal government’s Smartraveller website will now include a Partying Safely hub to include warnings for people abroad while they’re at nightclubs and music festivals.
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On Wednesday, Wong appeared on Sunrise.
“First, we all remember the tragic deaths of Bianca and Holly,” Wong told Monique Wright on Wednesday.
“I have had the privilege of meeting with the families. We are all so distressed about the deaths of these two wonderful women.
“We all want to see this never happen again. That’s one of the things we wanted to do in the aftermath of these tragedies, is to say, ‘how can we try and inform young people, so they have more information about how to party safely?’
“So, I am really pleased today that we are launching Partying Safely Hub, which is available on Smartraveller, which gives resources to universities and schools, and also provides information for young people about how best to try and keep safe.”
As part of the online safety tools, information will be provided online about the signs of methanol poisoning and what to do if it does occur, as well as resources about drink spiking and drug safety.
The campaign is being rolled out ahead of Schoolies in November, where thousands of high school graduates will travel to destinations such as Bali and Thailand to mark the end of their studies.
The federal government has repeatedly called for an investigation by the Laos government into the methanol poisoning deaths.
Laos has not taken up offers from the Australian Federal Police to help with an investigation.
The safety tools being made available online have been developed with organisations such as Red Frogs and Médecins sans Frontières and will include information for travellers as well as parents and schools.
- With AAP
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