Page 1922 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2022
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That was the top cop sending a warning, because this is what Mr Pettersson, Mr Davis and others want to impose.
The submissions that were presented to the inquiry included submissions from New South Wales Police about the cross-border effects on the Southern Region Command. The New South Wales Police submission says:
The proposed change in legislation within the ACT will have adverse impacts on policing capabilities, safety to communities and demands on other government and nongovernment support services, and in particular those areas within the Monaro Police District.
While you have New South Wales Police and the Australian Federal Police Commissioner warning of dire consequences, using words like “chaos”, when you hear about the cross-border effects and the police saying that it is going to have an adverse impact on a range of issues, including safety to communities, I caution the government in proceeding with this legislation; it is the wrong way to go. We have engaged in this process. We have listened to the experts, and we have listened to the advice. We have had the ability to consider this for a while and it is clear that if you listen to what the Australian Federal Police Association, the Australian Federal Police and the New South Wales Police are saying, you will hear that this is a dangerous way to proceed.
I also note that the government is moving ahead with pill testing as part of this. I raise further caution when it comes to pill testing. We are all shocked and saddened when we see someone, particularly a young person, die as a result of drug use. But, in our view, pill testing is not the right way to go. Indeed, that position is supported by a range of people. Toxicologist Andrew Leibie said that statements that pill testing would help keep people safe were potentially misleading and that pill testing is based on a false assumption that if you know what you are taking it is safe. That is something that is absolutely untrue; MDMA is not a safe drug. The state Health Commander of Ambulance Victoria said, “It is a poison. You can test a poison all you like; it remains a poison.” Toxicologist John Lewis doubts its effectiveness in detecting other dangerous chemicals, and so on.
One thing that really convinces me that this is the wrong way to go is that shine of safety, because at the Groovin the Moo festival where drugs were tested, when it was shown that it was basically pure MDMA, 97 per cent of respondents then said, “Yes, we are going to take it.” Once it was tested and found to be MDMA, they then took those drugs. The ABC went on to Groovin the Moo in Bendigo and said to a whole bunch of young people, “What do you think about this?” Following the Canberra pill testing trial the ABC reported a young festival goer saying, “The fact that they can test it and make sure that you are going to be safe is definitely a good thing.” Another said, “It could make you want to take more drugs. It would definitely give you peace of mind.”
This is the problem. This is what the young people who were interviewed by the ABC said. They said, “It is great. What pill testing does is make sure drugs are safe.” That
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