Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 11 Hansard (4 November) . . Page.. 3538 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

I am sure Mr Moore would agree that we do have one real policy gap or service gap in our area of drug service delivery, and that is a residential facility for young people under the age of 18 who have illicit drug problems, particularly people under the age of 18 who come out of the court system. I hope we would all agree that it is not appropriate - and I cannot think of a situation where it would be appropriate - for an illicit drug user with an addiction problem, not a pusher or not somebody who has been selling, to be sent to gaol. I am sure that we would all agree that we need to make sure that there are enough choices for magistrates and others to refer those sorts of people on to treatment centres. There is a gap at the moment.

So DRIC, other potential non-government service deliverers and I will be making sure we get as much as possible of the $21.5m available for new treatment centres. There is also an amount of money, I think $1.2m, for alternative therapy drug trials. We have already announced in this place that we are interested, on the basis of the heroin trial not being approved by the Prime Minister, in looking at trialling buprenorphine withdrawal therapy and naltrexone maintenance therapy. So, we will be applying for Federal Government funds out of that package for that purpose as well.

Mr Speaker, we will also be looking for input into the money for education, because I believe very strongly, as I know Mr Moore does, that the "grim reaper, say no to drugs" approach simply has not worked and would be useless in terms of increased money for education. So, I will be taking the approach I always do on this issue, and that is, to look for programs that enhance our harm minimisation approach; get as much money as we possibly can for the ACT out of the package; and certainly oppose any advertising campaign that takes the approach "say no to drugs", simply because it has failed in the past.

MR MOORE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Chief Minister; I appreciate that very positive answer. Of course I will support you in those areas. Will you be supporting education that is based only on a "know" approach, provided we spell "know" k-n-o-w?

MRS CARNELL: I am sure that if it were spelt k-n-o-w I would be much more interested than if it were spelt n-o. Just to answer the first part of Mr Moore's question about the Max Moore-Wilton report, I have not seen it. It has not been released to leaders. On that basis, I cannot make it available.

Mr Moore: Will you ask the Prime Minister to make it available?

MRS CARNELL: I think the Prime Minister has been asked, Mr Moore; but certainly at this stage it has not been made available.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .