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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 13 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 4215 ..


(g) any recommendations of the advisory committee concerning the operation of the facility must be given effect;

(h) any regulations concerning the operation of the facility must be complied with.

5D Criteria for assessing the facility

(1) The Minister must consult the advisory committee on the appropriate criteria, and must attempt to agree with the committee on a set of criteria.

(2) If a set of criteria is agreed, the Minister must approve them.

(3) If agreement is not possible-

(a) the advisory committee must set out its preferred criteria (alternative criteria ); and

(b) the Minister must approve a set of criteria and a statement of the reasons why they are approved instead of the alternative criteria (Minister's reasons ).

(4) The Minister must present a copy of the approved criteria, together with any alternative criteria and Minister's reasons, to the Legislative Assembly within 3 sitting days after the approval.

(5) In this section-

criteria means criteria by which the scientific trial of the effects of giving drug dependent persons a place to self-administer a substance is to be assessed.

Amendment (by Mr Moore ) to Mr Stanhope's amendment proposed:

After proposed subclause 5C (1), insert the following:

"(1A) An operator shall manage the facility in accordance with the internal management protocol.".

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (11.32): Mr Speaker, my amendment goes to the need, before the drug injecting place is established, for the preparation of a law enforcement protocol, for the publication of the law enforcement protocol, for the preparation and approval of an internal management protocol and for the development of criteria for assessing the facility. I know we have had a long and involved debate and many of the issues have been canvassed, but I think it is appropriate to respond to some of the points that have been made.

Contrary to some of the claims that have been made, this amendment puts in place the most stringent requirements in relation to the operation and management of the drug injecting place. Some of those requirements are set out in proposed new clauses 5A to 5D. They require the most stringent rules and protocols in relation to law enforcement in the drug injecting place and for their publication so that the people of Canberra have every opportunity of obtaining information on how this place will operate.


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