It was a relatively quiet first night of schoolies on the Gold Coast, where the priority is safety first. Wanding, pill testing, and a strong police presence were all in evidence – so too the extreme high energy of school leavers celebrating the next chapter of their lives.
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00:00It's a rite of passage that these graduates have embraced.
00:09Finally finished! Finally finished! Finally done!
00:15Almost 20,000 teens say goodbye to school in the way they know best.
00:20Yeah, beach party baby! Beach party!
00:22I love it, I'm having so much fun.
00:24It's an atmosphere that even a police minister could enjoy.
00:28What's going on, lad?
00:32There's another happy customer right there.
00:34Day one saw 16 schoolies needing medical attention,
00:38with one taken to hospital in a stable condition.
00:41What we have seen is, you know, everyone looking after each other,
00:44looking after their mates.
00:45Police use wanding to search for hidden weapons.
00:48To have that technology, to have that wand,
00:50to have that ability to stop people and seize a weapon
00:53before it's used at the commission of a crime is just invaluable.
00:57It's an initiative supported by Brett Beasley,
01:00whose son Jack was fatally stabbed during a night out in 2019.
01:05It's so important that these kids come out and feel safe
01:08around Surfers Paradise.
01:10While pill testing has made its first appearance at schoolies,
01:13the new LNP government has ruled it out for next year.
01:17But for these revellers, this week is all about new adventures.
01:21I've never been to the beach before, it's my first time on the beach.
01:23I met someone from Canberra in the mosh pit.
01:26I was like, what?