Page 3830 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 25 September 2019
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Much has been said in this place recently of the need to treat personal drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal one. I urge both Labor and the Canberra Liberals to genuinely reflect on what this amendment would achieve before casting a vote either way.
Australia, under successive governments of both major parties over many years, has led the way on embedding the three pillars of harm minimisation into commonwealth health policy, and every state and territory has likewise done the same. From the days of the first needle and syringe program to today, we have funded programs and developed plans, strategies and frameworks under this banner. We have a real opportunity today to put in writing, in specific and very appropriate legislation, something every governing political party ostensibly agrees with.
These objects offer a positive affirmation of the ACT government’s intent and stated motivation in bringing these amendments to the Assembly and send a message that they are serious about progressing drug law reform using well-defined policy settings and obligations. As such, the amendment causes no real conflict with any interpretations of the act as, by default, they are the policy settings the government stands by through other strategies and documents.
These are very clear amendments. Importantly, they set out what we want to achieve in drug policy in the ACT. Having them in the act is the right place to have them. I commend this amendment to the Assembly.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, Minister for Tertiary Education, Minister for Tourism and Special Events and Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment) (11.25): The government will not be supporting this amendment. The Drugs of Dependence Act prohibits the sale, supply and possession of drugs of dependence and prohibited substances and for related purposes. Although the objects are consistent with drug policies and strategies, the act itself is somewhat broader and has links with other drugs and health legislation. Adding a new object to the act should not be done without careful consideration of how it might affect the operation of the act.
The ACT government’s policy regarding the harm caused by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs is clearly articulated in the ACT drug strategy action plan 2018-21. That aligns with the national drug strategy and outlines a commitment to evidence-based and practice-informed responses to drug use that minimise harm in our community. Whilst I appreciate the intent of Mr Rattenbury’s amendment, for the reasons I have outlined we will not be supporting its inclusion in this piece of legislation.
MR HANSON (Murrumbidgee) (11.27): We will not be supporting this amendment; it is an absurd amendment. It is a broadbrush statement that best belongs in a statement of objectives or a policy document rather than legislation. I go to the provision that states:
… to reflect an evidence-based approach to drug policy, which puts the health and safety of the ACT community ahead of all other policy objectives.
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