News
7 July, 2024
Further steps to end coward punch scourge
The State Government has announced an investment of $800,000 over four years in the Stop the Coward Punch (STCP) Campaign.
The State Government has announced an investment of $800,000 over four years in the Stop the Coward Punch (STCP) Campaign. The funding aims to enhance the campaign’s educational package, which has been implemented in secondary schools nationwide since February 2022, and supports ongoing efforts to reduce violence associated with coward punch assaults.
The initiative was unveiled at the Gabba during an AFL match between the Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows, with Premier Steven Miles, Cooper MP Jonty Bush, and former professional boxer Danny Green in attendance. The government’s investment forms part of its broader Community Safety Plan for Queensland, which focuses on supporting victims, strengthening frontline responses, detaining offenders, intervening early, and preventing crime.
Research indicates that more than 172 Australians have died from coward punch assaults since 2000, highlighting the severe impact these incidents have on victims, witnesses, families, friends, and first responders. The STCP Campaign, founded in 2012 by Danny Green, seeks to raise awareness of the dangers posed by such assaults and to promote safer community environments through education and collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
Government officials have emphasised that the campaign is one element of a wider strategy to address community safety. The measures underpin a commitment to reducing violent assaults and minimising the associated trauma experienced across communities. This investment is part of a record community safety budget outlined in Premier Miles’ first budget as head of the government, reflecting an ongoing focus on evidence-based strategies to enhance public safety in Queensland.
