Page 2284 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
support for problematic drug use by decriminalising possession will materially improve the lives of people at this intersection.
This is an opportunity that cannot be missed. The last thing people at this intersection need is a criminal record. The last thing people at this intersection need are fines that they cannot pay. The last thing that people at this intersection need is increased engagement of law enforcement that decreases the likelihood of them reaching out for support from health services. The amendments that I am proposing, which will be tabled later today and discussed in detail in September, seek to ensure that the health and wellbeing of people living at this intersection is improved by this important reform process.
I am incredibly grateful to Mr Pettersson for tabling legislation on this issue. By doing so, Mr Pettersson has furthered the conversation about how we care for people in our city with substance dependencies. While the bill that Mr Pettersson has tabled requires amendment to ensure that it meets the objectives of decriminalisation, it marks a turning point towards sensible drug policy in the ACT.
We know that the vast majority of Canberrans support decriminalisation and want us to get this policy right. In June the Uniting Church’s Fair Treatment campaign ran polling in my electorate of Brindabella, as well as Kurrajong and Yerrabi, which resoundingly demonstrated that the vast majority of Canberrans support a health-based and non-punitive approach to drug possession. I am immensely proud of my Tuggeranong community and of the broader Canberra community for backing this incredibly important nation-leading reform.
Canberrans, too, have good reason to be proud of the work that this Assembly has undertaken to ensure that government policy reflects the community’s progressive position on social issues such as this. It is time for us to fully realise the trust that we have been given by the Canberra community and ensure that this reform is evidence based, that it reduces harm and that it improves the outcomes for people experiencing the harms of drug use. Given the keenness of local and national experts from our universities and from the drug support and treatment sector to work with the government to get this right, I am confident that we can do this right from the start. I am grateful, too, to the minister and to her health directorate for their considered work on this policy to date. While there is more work to do before we debate the detail stage of this legislation, we are absolutely heading in the right direction.
Unfortunately, Mr Pettersson’s proposed legislation and the minister’s proposed amendments continue a punitive response to drug possession. Functionally, they do so by introducing fines and compulsory diversion programs and by creating a third category of personal possession, the consequence for which could be up to an $8,000 fine or a six-month custodial sentence.
This is problematic on two fronts. First and foremost, under the minister’s amendments, the mere possession of drugs in the ACT could land someone in prison for six months; secondly, by retaining a punitive response to drug possession, we maintain a system that stigmatises people who use drugs. This stigma is incredibly damaging. This stigma drives people away from support, causing harm to themselves and to those who care for them.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video