So hands up if you’ve spent the odd moment during office hours slapping Corey.

I know I have.

While my Christian compassion was telling me I should have a bit more heart towards the wayward kid who organised the party from hell, as a parent I couldn’t help but feel for Corey’s folks.

They must be pulling their hair out.

But unfortunately, kids like Corey, despite his newfound celebrity status, are not only becoming increasingly common – they are also too often beyond the long arm of the law.

I am staggered by the number of times our local magistrates let young offenders off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

At least on the Slap Corey website you can give him a decent whack.

While corporal punishment is no answer for most teenagers – especially the smug ones that just laugh it off – the mere fact that teens can now threaten you with legal or police action if you mention raising a finger is disturbing.

It seems all levels of government have completely eroded the authority that police and parents once had.

While in the old days, the police sergeant could give the likes of Corey a good kick up the backside (often with his parents’ blessing), now they’re more likely to be confronted by some smart-mouthed lawyer quoting 15 sections of the constitution.

And if our kids decide to make a run from home, after being confronted by the prospect of discipline from their parents, will the government help parents get their kids back?

No, they will help fund the wayward teenagers with allowances!

Yesterday we ran a story on a 15-year-old being twice the legal drinking limit after being allowed to drive at a party at Kenilworth.

The Mapleton teen was discovered by police who had been called by residents concerned about a large gathering of young people drinking at Obi Obi Road on Saturday night.

The girl was found nearby with a separate group of people who were allegedly drinking.

After noticing a large amount of mixed drinks and spirits, the police officers gave each of the eight drivers breath tests and allegedly discovered the young teen behind the wheel of one of the cars.

It is believed her 18-year-old brother, who was at the gathering and under the legal limit, had allowed his sister to drive.

What was most disturbing about the police report on the incident was the fact that her parents could not even be reached by police.

It seems not only are parents becoming increasingly frustrated by their inability to control their kids, because of a lack of help from the government, some just can’t be bothered to know where their kids are – and who they are with.

We hear reports of parents dropping off young kids to party on Mooloolaba Esplanade into all hours of the night – before going out themselves and getting blind, rotten drunk.

Parents getting drunk every weekend can hardly expect their own kids to do anything but.

As Australians, we have to look at our unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

It has become such a part of our culture now that teenagers grow up expecting they should be able to drink – even before they are of the legal drinking age.

We then wonder why we have hundreds turning up at parties which get out of control or young people wrapping themselves around trees after travelling at insanely high speeds.

On the wrong path

Maroochy has certainly won few friends with its failure to apply for funding for bikeways.

Despite the state government offering dollar-for-dollar funding of suitable projects, the Coast’s biggest council did not even bother to put in an application, potentially missing out on several million dollars.

Bloggers at thedaily.com.au have expressed their outrage and their anger over the state of Maroochy’s existing bike paths, which are not wide enough or linked up enough to carry both pedestrian and cycle traffic.

“(I) live in Coolum, work in Nambour, I’d love to have any Maroochy councillor ride to work with me, any road they choose, none of them are safe!’’ one blogger wrote.

“My two boys cycle too, come on councillors, where can my boys cycle at 23kph avg to train for their sport? They can’t dodge pedestrians at that speed!”

Let’s hope the next council can make proper bike and busways a real priority in road planning.

For too long, the Coast has depended on the car.

But unless our public transport alternatives continue to improve, and safe facilities are provided for those wanting to leave the car at home, the Coast’s dependence on cars and the need for even more lanes of roadway will continue.