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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Politics
Daisy Dumas

Drink spiking is back in the spotlight – so why do Australians know so little about it?

Happy young friends enjoying drinks at a bar
Drink spiking was thrown back into the national spotlight after Queensland MP Brittany Lauga claimed she was drugged and sexually assaulted in Yeppoon. Photograph: HEX/Getty Images

When Queensland MP Brittany Lauga shared her claim of being drugged and sexually assaulted in Yeppoon last week, she threw the national spotlight back on a tool of sexual violence that simmers largely out of view.

Drink spiking is underreported, underestimated and under-researched. The Australian government has not investigated the problem since 2004 and police say there is no typical example or pattern of the crime.

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