Page 2588 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 October 1992
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We as community leaders must not only fully accept the role that we have to lead the community but also accept, understand and acknowledge the impetus that our young people are giving us and thank them for it. It is the interest from those young people that should give us the drive, the initiative and the courage to compete and to continue on the tracks that I outlined as being followed by this Government already. I take grave exception to the fact that both Mr Cornwell and Mr Kaine think that all they need to do to contribute to this important debate about our future is to somehow trivialise it and politicise it down to the level they did.
I hope that the people not only in our schools but in our community realise and understand that obviously the Opposition have as much interest in the future environment of this planet as a piece of paper on their desk. I find it appalling. I welcome Mr Cornwell's amendment. It is a fine amendment and I have no problem with it. But I do take exception to the attitude generally displayed from those opposite. I had every encouragement in moving the motion and did so quite happily.
Amendment agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
DRUGS AND POISONS SCHEDULING
MRS CARNELL (11.08): I move:
That the Government introduce, as a matter of urgency, legislation to facilitate drugs and poisons scheduling by reference to the recommendations of the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Agreement to scheduling by reference was the outcome of a decision by AHMAC some years ago. All States and Territories have agreed to the process of adopting NHMRC recommendations by reference. Scheduling by reference refers to how drugs and poisons lists are updated. In the ACT relevant legislation is the Drugs of Dependence Act and, more importantly, the Poisons and Drugs Act. Scheduling by reference allows these lists to be updated more or less automatically by reference to recommendations of the NHMRC.
It should be noted that currently every time we wish to update the drugs or poisons lists we have to pass an amendment to one or both of the relevant Acts. Not surprisingly, this is unwieldy, time consuming and fairly inappropriate. The current system also duplicates decisions made by Territory representatives at the NHMRC. All States and Territories have an input to this body, which forms the standards for uniform scheduling of poisons and drugs. As I said, the Government has had notice of the need for uniform scheduling for some time. In fact, Mr Berry wrote in a letter to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia on 29 August 1991 - and I can table it if you like, but I am sure that you have a copy:
I am pleased to be able to advise you that the Government's legislation program for the current sitting of the Assembly includes these amendments. I would expect to introduce them into the Assembly later this year.
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