Raising the drinking age could be argued as a positive step, but it will do little to stop access to alcohol by young people.

A higher drinking age could limit their ability to frequent hotels and nightclubs, but in turn would send young people to private venues, or worse, onto the streets to meet the cult need for binge drinking.

Youth drinking is blamed for the rising incidence of alcohol related violence. The streets are not safe after dark, particularly in the early morning hours when extended trading has enabled drinkers, mainly young people, to booze all night.

The Redlands has seen more than its share of drug and alcohol fuelled violence and organisations such as our own Matthew Stanley Foundation, formed as a result of a youth violence tragedy, deserve much credit for attacking the root of the cause – attitudes and culture.

Enjoying the social outlets of hotels and nightclubs is a privilege for young people, or anyone in fact, not a right. Responsible attitudes and behaviour is an outcome that is often out of reach of young people embroiled in the pressures of school, examinations, jobs and generally finding their way in a stressed world.

Therein lies the problem – the drinking culture, which can only be changed by realignment of attitudes through education.

A fragmented approach to achieving this culture change is unworkable. A Parliamentary Inquiry into alcohol related violence needs to embrace all avenues of the problem and take on board the great work that the Matthew Stanley Foundation, and other similar groups, have already achieved.

All the inquiries in the world, however, will not bring a solution unless government funding through education programs is sufficient to bring the culture change necessary to end the violence which costs the nation $1.7 billion annually.

More must be done, to tackle the problem and police across Australian are applauded for planning their united never-before-seen crackdown against alcohol-fuelled violence next month. Under Operation Unite, officers will saturate the streets in every state to deter anti-social behaviour, targeting hot spots of alcohol abuse and law-breaking.

The blitz will take place on December 11 and 12 when it will be a good time for everyone to re-assess the “she'll be right, mate” attitude to alcohol.