Police were asked about seven defendants taken to court over drink spiking between July 2021 and May 2024, but did not provide further information.

In October, a QPS spokesperson said the service “takes all reports of spiking seriously and investigate these occurrences on a case-by-case basis”.

“Additionally, the QPS remains committed to refining and enhancing the police response to drink spiking reports, including improving processes for reporting, investigating matters in a timely manner, and holding perpetrators to account,” they said.

“Any reports of drug or alcohol spiking are taken seriously and anyone who believes they have been spiked is asked to report the matter to police as soon as possible, to ensure inquiries and evidence collection can be conducted in a timely manner.”

Substances typically associated with drink spiking include sedative-type drugs such as benzodiazepines, ketamine, GHB or rohypnol. According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, the use of GHB and rohypnol is rare.

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Some victims of drink spiking are treated in hospital emergency departments, but a spokesperson for Queensland Health said it did not have data on “the mechanism of drug ingestion” – only statistics showing drug-related presentations to emergency departments.

Details of the substances are not recorded either, with a blanket classification of “drug-related” in hospital records.

Queensland Health said the state was experiencing “a significant and sustained drop in drug-related hospital presentations, including overdoses”.

The last national report into drink spiking in Australia was conducted 20 years ago. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), drink spiking is under-reported.

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