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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1681 ..
MRS CARNELL (continuing):
but come back to this place when the United States National Institute of
Health paper has been produced, and when we have seen the paper that is going
to be produced at the MCDS meeting. I do believe that it is very appropriate
for debates of this nature to happen in this place, because the responsibility
is here in this Assembly. It is extremely important.
Mr Berry: No; there are international conventions as well.
MRS CARNELL: Mr Berry says that there are international conventions. Yes, but there are trials going on in many parts of the world now on the medical use of cannabis.
Mr Moore: Consistent with our international treaties.
MRS CARNELL: It is not inconsistent with international treaties, as Mr Moore says. Mr Berry is just wrong on this, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. He is just bottom line wrong. He is trying to make a political issue out of the medical use of a product that may or may not be very useful for some people who have very debilitating conditions. That is the whole point of the trial - it may or may not be. I think that having debates of this nature in this Assembly is very important, and it is a subject that we should look at again when we have on the table the information I spoke about.
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: I understand that the discussion of the matter - - -
Mr Moore: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, seeing that we have not used the full time for the matter of public importance, I seek leave, consistent with standing orders and convention, to speak again.
Leave not granted.
Motion (by Mr Moore) agreed to, with the concurrence of an absolute majority:
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Mr Moore from speaking again.
MR MOORE (5.06): I say thank you to those members who supported that motion. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, it seems to me that what we have heard today, and also the denial of leave, show that Mr Berry wants to continue in his incredibly conservative way. That is what it is. Mr Berry sat here and interjected throughout my speech and Mrs Carnell's. He is very fearful of leading Australia. "You want to lead Australia", he says. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, what we want to do is deliver what is best for our community at any given time and solve some of the problems that other communities face as well and see whether we can provide best practice. Indeed, Mrs Carnell attempts to provide best practice across a range of issues, on some of which I agree with her and believe she has done extremely well, and on some of which she has done extremely badly.
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