Page 550 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 May 1992
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It is also appropriate that I discuss the issue of tranquillisers and benzodiazepines. The committee has decided to look at the use of tranquillisers and benzodiazepines - these legal drugs - and the side effects of and dependency on these drugs, and at establishing, perhaps, alternative health strategies for dealing with people who have found themselves dependent on these sorts of drugs which are often referred to in a generic way as tranqs.
Then the committee also considered it appropriate to deal with one of our major drug problems in the ACT, and that is alcohol, particularly alcohol use by young people. Often in the hype over illegal drugs we are inclined to miss the important factors that deal with under-age drinking, particularly binge drinking, as well as the social and health effects of alcohol on young people. The committee will seek to develop alternative social strategies that we can suggest to the Government and to the Assembly as appropriate strategies.
The committee has already called for public submissions. On 12 May I wrote, as presiding member, to the Chief Minister, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Education and Training, and the Attorney-General, seeking submissions from their respective departments on these issues. The committee hopes to receive all submissions by 5 June.
At this stage it is the committee's intention to report on the methadone program by the first day of sitting in the budget session, and to report on tranquillisers and benzodiazepines by mid-October. Our committee has a very tight schedule because its term of appointment is restricted to the end of this year. For that reason I think it appropriate that we have support for this motion. I move:
That paragraph (3) of the resolution of appointment of the Select Committee on Drugs of 27 March 1992 be omitted and the following substituted:
"(3) The Committee shall report from time to time, and its final report shall be presented to the Assembly not later than the last sitting day in 1992.".
Question resolved in the affirmative.
SCRUTINY OF BILLS AND SUBORDINATE LEGISLATION -
STANDING COMMITTEE
Reports and Statement
MRS GRASSBY: Madam Speaker, I present reports Nos 2 and 3 of 1992 of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation. I seek leave to make a brief statement on the reports.
Leave granted.
MRS GRASSBY: Report No. 2, which I have just presented, was circulated to members out of session on 22 April 1992, pursuant to the committee's resolution of appointment. Report No. 3 details the committee's comments on five Bills and nine pieces of subordinate legislation. I commend the reports to the Assembly.
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