Authorities are concerned about social media users driving into Aboriginal communities and encouraging people to binge drink.
A video, posted to Instagram, shows a bus ‘hunting for Australia’s best house party’ entering the remote town of Coober Pedy and handing locals ‘snorkel’ spirits and beer.
“We’re here in Coober Pedy. Let’s see what this city is all about,” says a man in the footage, before gulping a beer through the machine.
Authorities worry about social media account invading Aboriginal communities and encouraging people to binge drink
Old posts from the account the videos were posted to, which the Daily Mail Australia chose not to name, show them buying an old passenger bus before spraying it black and embellishing their name on the side.
The party bus is equipped with a bar, DJ decks and neon lights, where parties are regularly organized.
The offensive clip, on Rednex’ “Cotton-Eyed Joe,” shows men and women from the regional South Australian town drinking alcohol being handed out by the bus.
Footage shows the group handing out beer and bourbon to the natives to drink through the snorkel as they congregate around the vehicle.
Some drank the drink, while others were taken in while spitting out the alcohol. Several shared the bottle of Jim Beam.
Coober Pedy has established a dry zone for nearly all of its public spaces, which should “curb alcohol-related problems and antisocial behavior in public spaces such as reservations, parking lots, beaches and communities where drinking is prohibited in public places.” an indicator of complex social issues’, according to the SA website.
The group’s bio says it’s “traveling Australia in 2022” to find the country’s best house party — but geo-tags from their latest posts suggest they’re moving through lower socioeconomic areas.
The ‘party bus’ recently checked into Uluru in the Northern Territory, raising fears among Aboriginal officials that they are targeting it at high-risk groups.
A map shows plans to drive on to Darwin before continuing through Western Australia and back east.
A video, posted to Instagram, shows a bus ‘hunting for Australia’s best house party’ entering the remote town of Coober Pedy and handing locals ‘snorkel’ spirits and beer
A recent post from the group suggests their Instagram accounts have been repeatedly deleted for obscene content – with backup accounts posted in the bio.
YOU CAN’T GET OFF US SO EASILY!!! How epic was that party? Here’s some footage of what happened,” reads the latest caption.
“We had to reboot because our Insta was shut down…but we’re here to stay!”
Another video shows one of the members of the group talking to a Channel 10 reporter on the street, claiming they are “doing charity work with kids and stuff”.
Shane Mohor, the Chief Executive of South Australia’s Aboriginal Health Council, confirmed that police had “relocated the group” but learned they had plans to travel north.
‘I am concerned to hear that they are now planning to go to Alice Springs,’ said Mr Mohor.
“I have been in contact with the Nganampa Health Service in the APY countries to inform them of this incident and that this group is planning to go their way.”
They have previously been to Warrnambool in Victoria and Robe in South Australia, while a video tagged in Adelaide shows them passing alcohol on to another group of Aboriginal men.
Set to Rednex’s ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe’, the clip shows men and women from the regional South Australian town consuming alcohol handed out by the bus
SA police said they investigated the video and fined four members of the Coober Pedy community for drinking in public.
“We can confirm that we are aware of the vision and have not received any specific complaints from the public,” a spokesperson said.
“Police continue to try to locate the person(s) who supplied the alcohol for possible violations of the Liquor Licensing Act.”
The state’s minister of Aboriginal Affairs criticized the behavior of the ‘party bus’ and called on authorities to curb their behaviour.
“It’s disgusting, frankly,” Kyam Maher said. “The police have been notified and the Office of the Commissioner for Liquor and Gambling is also investigating.
The supply or sale, without a license, of alcohol can incur fines of up to $20,000. I hope those bodies investigate as thoroughly as possible.’