Page 2925 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 1991

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1 - That the Government approve a feasibility study of the logistics of conducting a trial to provide opioids, including heroin, in a controlled manner.

2 - That the feasibility study recommended in Recommendation 1 be funded, in the current fiscal year, to an amount of $60,000.

3 - That the appropriate Minister inform the relevant Federal, State and Territory Ministers, through the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse, of the feasibility study and seek national co-operation through Ministerial Council on Drugs Strategy.

4 - That the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health conduct the feasibility study recommended in Recommendation 1 on the Government's behalf.

5 - That the Government establish a feasibility study monitoring group, consisting of no more than three members of the ACT Government Service, the functions of which shall be:

(a) to represent the Government in discussions with all other interested parties;

(b) to be the sole Government agency dealing with the major researchers; and

(c) to co-ordinate and present the Government's responses to issues as they are raised by the major researchers.

Having read into the record the recommendations of this committee's report, I would like to read into the record my additional comments. I will not read them in entire detail as, in fact, I have already covered the first paragraph of those additional comments earlier in my remarks this afternoon. But it is important, I believe, to have these comments on the record. I quote:

My participation in this Select Committee report in no way supports controlled availability of opioids. This report will be of benefit to all sectors of the community as it will outline the intended procedures which would need to be taken before any decision could be made.

Stage 2 of the NCEPH report, The feasibility - a more detailed examination of the logistics of the trial and the mechanisms by which the program might be run is appropriate if the following procedures are followed. It is through this feasibility study that an appropriate decision concerning the controlled availability of opioids can be assessed.

Whilst I deliberated in the committee's report presented today and support the recommendations in it, I consider the $60,000 required for the implementation of the feasibility study should be


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