One-quarter drank twice a week and the same number drank heavily in a single session at least four times a month, the University of Wollongong study found. Those who drank heavily were more likely to find themselves in dangerous sexual situations. And yet almost half said they never, rarely or only sometimes used a condom during sex. ''It sounds crude and at first you think: 'Too much detail,''' Mr Scipione said. ''But in certain parts of the UK, I know [police] suggest to women that if you're going to go out and you're planning on having sex tonight, tell a girlfriend. If you're not, tell a girlfriend. ''If they see you wandering off with a male that they don't know and they see you in a state of intoxication - and it's not your intention to have sex tonight - then [they] stop the girl. They may be a victim of a crime; they may be [the] subject of a drink spiking.'' About 3000 people aged 15 to 24 are admitted to Australian hospitals each year for acute intoxication. Between the late 1990s and 2005-06, the rate of young women being admitted to hospital doubled.

''In the past we always saw this overuse, the abuse, the drunken behaviour, the violent behaviour, the stupid behaviour … that was predominantly the domain of young men,'' Mr Scipione said. ''It's not that way any more. ''It's now unfortunately something that's seen as cool: to be drunk as a young woman. For the life of me, I don't know what's that attractive about some young woman vomiting in the gutter at 3am after a big night.'' Mr Scipione, the father of two sons and a daughter, said he wanted young women to take responsibility for their safety when drinking before they became victims of crime. ''Think about it before you do it, talk about it, have a plan, how you're getting home, who you're going home with. And look out for your mates. You can get a sexually transmitted disease that you are never going to get rid of; it potentially will affect your fertility. ''Who knows what effect it will have on an unborn child? These are serious, life-altering decisions.''

National health guidelines recommend Australian women should drink no more than four standard drinks in one session. The survey counted six or more standard drinks as a ''binge drinking'' episode. ''It appears that young female Australian university students who consume alcohol at harmful levels are more likely to experience potentially harmful sexual situations, the outcomes of which could include unintended pregnancy, contracting an STI, and physical and emotional harm from unwanted sexual contact,'' the Wollongong researchers concluded. The director of the university's Centre for Health Initiatives, Sandra Jones, said popular culture did nothing to help deter young people, especially women, from drinking and engaging in dangerous sexual acts. ''We've all watched Sex and the City and Gossip Girl: people go out and get drunk, they have sex with someone and it's a marvellous experience,'' Professor Jones said. ''They wake up the next morning and feel terrific about it. [But] that's not the real world and we need to start addressing those perceptions among young women.'' Professor Jones agreed with the police commissioner that a ''buddy system'' could work well for young women considering having sex after a night out. Loading

National research shows one in five Australians older than 14 is classed as a ''risky drinker'', or someone whose drinking habits put them in danger of developing alcohol-related disease and injury. While the proportion of people aged 12 to 29 who abstained from drinking rose in the three years to 2010, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found more than 10 per cent of 14- to 19-year-olds were putting their health at risk. About 10 per cent of teenagers aged 16 and 17 were binge drinking once a week and almost 20 per cent were doing so once a month. The national research also showed that recent drinkers were more likely to have been verbally and physically abused.