Page 2288 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2022
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punishment has not worked in deterring drug use, nor the harmful impacts that
can occur.
I will quote from Hansard of 20 August 2020, when we were discussing this subject in relation to a motion that Mr Pettersson had brought to the Assembly on the potential for introduction of a simple drug offence notice, which had been a universal recommendation of a committee looking at youth mental health. It was supported by the member of the committee from the Canberra Liberals, who I recall was Mrs Kikkert.
Mr Pettersson: Yes, and Ms Lee.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: Mrs Kikkert and Ms Lee were members of that committee that recommended that the government should look into a simple drug offence notice for a broader range of illicit drugs. In that debate Mr Hanson said:
We should all resist the temptation—as we proceed with this debate in the lead-up to an election and the temptation is there—for my side of politics to say that Mr Pettersson wants to legalise all drugs and for the Labor Party to say that the Liberals want to roll out Philippines-style drug policy I do not think that would be helpful.
Of course, in the end Mr Hanson did not vote for that motion, because the Greens had moved an amendment to it in support of pill testing. Just the other week, of course, he came out publicly supporting pill testing and opposing the simple drug offence notice. So it may come as a surprise to those opposite that this was Mr Hanson’s contribution at the time to the consideration of a motion regarding the introduction of a simple drug offence notice. Unfortunately, Mr Hanson has not been able to resist the temptation. I guess he is demonstrating his bona fides to the conservative local Canberra Liberal Party membership, and that is more important to him than evidence-based health policy.
However, we on this side have taken the time to work methodically through the details. Mr Davis, I can assure you that I have spoken to many people and heard the evidence—as have our officials. We have considered the detailed work of the select committee and its range of written submissions and public hearings, and worked closely with ACT Policing, the ACT Government Analytical Laboratory, the Canberra Health Services alcohol and drug service and community experts to ensure that we balance all sides of this debate.
I believe that the bill, with the government’s amendments, strikes the right balance in reducing harm from the use of illicit drugs. Canberrans will have much less need to fear being sent to prison as the result of what is ultimately a health condition. They will no longer fear becoming financially crippled by a heavy fine or facing a prison sentence for personal possession of small amounts of drugs. This will support people to engage with health services and consider diversion to obtain access to the support they need through drug counselling or support. At the very least it will provide people with more options for seeking that support without fear.
The bill, as proposed to be amended, strikes the right balance to avoid the risks of inadvertently creating loopholes for drug dealers, enabling police to focus on the real
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