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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (10 July) . . Page.. 2440 ..

It is impossible to rationalise the government's approach to this matter on any humane measure. The approach of the crossbenchers has been absolutely mind-boggling. Their dedication to this issue is quite appalling. It is more about the politics of it than the lives that might be involved. This matter will come back to haunt them, I regret to say. The opportunity was there for them to be sensible, reasonable and accepting of other views on this issue. The Labor Party entered into a bipartisan agreement on this issue, for good reasons.

Mr Rugendyke: But didn't vote for it.

MR BERRY: That is a rare occurrence in this place. It will be even more rare in future because of the distrustful way that the government has approached this issue. Mr Speaker, I regret that it has come to this. There was another way out of it, but the government completely and utterly ignored it. The consequences of their reversal on this issue will come back to haunt them as well. Maybe they think that they are hard enough to withstand that. Good on them, if they think that they are tough enough to withstand it. I am pleased that I am not the one who has to face it.

MS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (4.54): Mr Speaker, the irrationality of this debate continues to concern me. I am not going to go over what has been said in the past; but as far as I know, and I am very confident that I am right, we have not amended the health line, which means that the $800,000 that was to be spent on the SIP will now be spent on drug treatment and education.

Mr Quinlan: That is exciting!

MS CARNELL: It is exciting. Mr Speaker, even though we support having a trial of a supervised injecting place, Mr Moore and I have never indicated that we believed it was the only answer to the issue of illicit drug taking in the ACT or, for that matter, anywhere else. We have never suggested that putting money into other areas would not save lives as well and would not be a real benefit to the community.

I still believe that a trial of a supervised injecting place is worth a go to see whether it saves lives. But the $800,000 we have in the budget will be used for education and treatment, which means that it will help, Mr Speaker. It will save lives. It will be of great benefit on the issue of illicit drug taking and drug abuse, whether it be illegal drugs or alcohol and tobacco. Remember, Mr Speaker, alcohol and tobacco still claim significantly more lives in our community than illicit drugs. Mr Speaker, I think it is very important for us to remember that that money will still go to an area of great need, that is, the area of drug abuse in our community.

MR QUINLAN (4.56): Mr Speaker, I was not going to speak at this time, but I want to respond to an interjection by Mr Rugendyke, who virtually said that the opposition did not support the trial because it did not vote for the budget. All of the arguments have been had in terms of supporting the budget, but I do want to say-whether you shake your head in exasperation or not; might I just say as a point of order that I do not think that that is appropriate-that it is quite obvious that the government, Mr Rugendyke, Mr Osborne and Mr Moore, having made the arrangement they made, have to try to point the finger at the ALP. Of course they do. They have to beat it up-chant it, chant it, chant it.

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