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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 3 Hansard (25 March) . . Page.. 866 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

people who have left formal education. At Appendix 4 of the framework is a detailed list of the working party. It is a very representative group and a fairly large group. I indicated on Tuesday, in answer to a question from Mr Berry, that there would be a list. It is at Appendix 4 if he wishes to see it.

The framework is comprehensive and it includes, as well as strategies for drug education programs, details about departmental policies and ACT legislation related to drug education in schools; a list of up-to-date support agencies; clear definitions of harm minimisation; and advice on how to deal with a drug incident in a school. Halting the spread of misuse of both legal and illegal drugs is a problem for all of society.

In schools we have a golden opportunity, as well as a fundamental responsibility, to present relevant and accurate information to young people about drugs. As Minister responsible both for education and for children's, youth and family services in this Territory, I am committed to ensuring that our schools grasp this opportunity and that we fulfil our responsibility. It is important that schools prepare young people to live safely and successfully in contemporary society. Providing effective drug education programs in schools is a very important part of doing that.

The draft drug education policy framework brings together the experience and the expertise of a broad range of people to provide a document which is an important component of the ACT's approach to minimising the harm arising from, and associated with, the misuse of drugs. It is aligned with the revised ACT drug strategy which is currently being developed. It is complemented by the draft national school drug education strategy which was released for comment by the Commonwealth in December of last year.

As I said earlier, the misuse of drugs is a problem for all of society. It is a dilemma to which there is no single solution but one in which each and every individual can play a role. It is a problem for government, for parents, for families, for the health system, for the police force, for everyone who cares about the health and wellbeing of society.

This draft framework is designed to play a very important role in the coordinated effort at national, State and local levels to educate our children. Hopefully, this will substantially reduce, and perhaps ultimately eliminate, the tragedies that occur all too often as a result of the misuse of drugs. As I indicated earlier in describing the framework's connections to other strategies, great care has been taken to ensure that it complements and supports other drug education strategies and programs. This is important because it is only by coordinated and concerted effort by us all that real progress can be achieved in drug education.

Mr Speaker, schools are already active participants in the effort to combat the use of illegal drugs and misuse of legal drugs. Significant effort in the area of drug education is already being put in at the school and system level, and it is worth taking some time here to outline this particular effort. Drug education is included in the key learning area of health and physical education, and every school is required to cover these issues under the health and physical education curriculum framework. Drug education in ACT schools is consistent with the national drug strategy. This focuses on students identifying

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