Page 1379 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 11 May 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Connolly: And we have now done it properly, without amendments.
MRS CARNELL: I was just going to make the comment that I think Mr Connolly's amendments to my Bill greatly improve the Bill, and certainly take on board a number of the other recommendations of the same Health Ministers conference. Certainly during the detail stage we will be supporting Mr Connolly's approach to this Bill, which we believe is appropriate. The problems that exist for both Customs officials and police have already been spoken about in this place. The problems they have in not being able to do anything about the illicit trade in anabolic steroids have been well documented. I commend the Bill to the house.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail Stage
Clauses 1 to 3, by leave, taken together, and agreed to.
Clause 4
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General and Minister for Health) (10.38), by leave: I move:
Page 2, lines 5 and 6, omit "Before section 48 of the Principal Act the following provision is inserted in Part IV", substitute "After section 47Z of the Principal Act the following section is inserted".
Page 2, line 8, proposed new section 47A, omit "47A.", substitute "47ZA.".
As Mrs Carnell indicated, the Bill before the house implements part of a decision taken in 1990 by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy to deal with this issue of steroids, which were not in themselves illegal drugs but there was growing community concern that they were leading to significant public health problems. The consequences of inappropriate steroid use were recited by Mrs Carnell. They have quite serious long-term effects on young persons, who may be tempted to take them to increase their sporting prowess, without realising that they can lead to long-term problems, and sterility is a major problem that has been identified.
The Bill, however, did not implement the whole package of recommendations decided by Ministers. The Government, while it was chided for being slow, had been progressing that whole package. As Mrs Carnell has moved part of it, we have been able to produce amendments to give the Assembly the chance to vote on the entire package agreed in 1990. I am pleased that the Opposition will be supporting our completing of the circle in order to have us in line with the 1990 position.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .