Page 1027 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 April 1994
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POISONS AND DRUGS (AMENDMENT) BILL 1993
Debate resumed from 17 February 1993, on motion by Mrs Carnell:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General and Minister for Health) (10.59): Madam Speaker, the Bill before the Assembly, presented by Mrs Carnell, seeks to make the unauthorised possession of anabolic steroids an offence. There is no doubt that there is commonality between the Government and the Opposition that anabolic steroids use can be a major problem. My predecessor certainly referred to that significantly in health, drugs, and alcohol and substance awareness campaigns. I am aware, from my prior incarnation and continuing incarnation as Attorney-General and from the work we are doing on a safer Civic, that there is a widespread perception by police that from time to time we have problems with bouncers or security personnel pumping themselves up on anabolic steroids. A small quantity of alcohol and a body full of steroids can be a potent combination, and that is something that is referred to in the discussion paper that the Government has released on control of the security industry.
In 1990 the working party of the ministerial committee on drug strategy recommended to the States that they should make it an offence for any person to administer to themselves or to any other person, or to prescribe, dispense or sell for human use, any schedule substance - which includes anabolic steroids - manufactured specifically for veterinary use and also make the unauthorised possession of anabolic steroids, whether manufactured for human or veterinary use, an offence. Mrs Carnell's Bill addresses the second issue. The Government policy is that both of those issues should be addressed. Most States, I am told - apart from the Northern Territory and the ACT - have now addressed these issues. Mrs Carnell thought the Northern Territory may have addressed them. I am not sure whether they have done so or not. In any event, there has been a lot of movement, and we are still to deal with this. The Government's proposal would be to circulate for members' consideration amendments to pick up the second part of the recommendation so that it is a complete package. We are quite comfortable that the Bill before the chamber be the vehicle for such change to occur.
Certainly the Opposition will want to have a look at the package of amendments. There are a couple of pages of them. I am sure that Mr Moore, who has a significant interest in these matters, will also want to look fairly carefully at what I am proposing. So perhaps the best course would be to adjourn this debate after Mr Moore makes his remarks. I have given Mrs Carnell a copy of my amendments, but I will ask that they be formally circulated. I will give the officials a chance to do that, so that all members can have a look at them. If there are any outstanding issues, we may be able to negotiate a way around them and perhaps at a further sitting of this Assembly agree to the Bill in principle and deal with whatever package of amendments finally comes up.
This is an issue that the Government thinks should be addressed comprehensively. Mrs Carnell, I think, acknowledges that her Bill goes part of the way and I think she would acknowledge that it would be better if we went the whole way. The package that we will be circulating shortly should achieve that. The Government is not opposing the Bill. We think that we should make it do the whole job. We believe that the
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