Page 3400 - Week 10 - Thursday, 20 October 2022

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Question put:

That the motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 13		Noes 6
Mr Barr	Ms Orr		Mr Cain
Ms Berry	Dr Paterson		Ms Castley
Mr Braddock	Mr Pettersson		Mr Hanson
Ms Burch	Mr Rattenbury		Mrs Kikkert
Ms Cheyne	Mr Steel		Mr Milligan
Ms Clay	Ms Stephen-Smith		Mr Parton
Mr Davis

Question resolved in the affirmative, with the concurrence of an absolute majority.

Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Bill 2021

Debate resumed from 3 August 2022, on motion by Mr Pettersson:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (10.39): I am pleased to speak to the Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Bill 2021. I would like to thank Mr Pettersson for providing the opportunity to have this important debate. I would also like to thank all the members of the select committee for undertaking the inquiry into this bill: Mr Cain, Dr Paterson and my Greens colleague Mr Davis. I think that the work they did on that, in taking the evidence, thinking through the detail of the bill and providing a range of thoughtful comments, has really played a useful part in working our way through what is a complex legal, social and health policy question.

As members of this Assembly well know, the ACT Greens are very strong supporters of drug law reform. Whatever your views on the efficacy and appropriateness of the criminal law to address social issues, it cannot be denied that the evidence in no way supports a punitive approach. It does not effectively reduce drug use. It makes the harms that may result from drug use more likely. It creates an unhelpful stigma. It shames people out of seeking help when they need it.

These are not the outcomes that we as a community should be looking for. It is for these reasons that the ACT Greens support this bill in principle. It is a step in the right direction. It starts to depart from the criminalisation of vulnerable people and the entrenchment of their problems. It starts to foster a community of collaborative assistance where it is needed. It is a step along the road to the progressive change that we need.

However, I must touch upon why we back the amendments that Mr Davis will be moving today. At their core, those amendments seek to align the bill’s aspirations

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