Page 2653 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 October 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, please! Mrs Grassby has the floor.
MRS GRASSBY: This is a new experiment and there will be changes in the present system. I feel that this will be a benefit to the clients already in the methadone program and those coming into the program for the first time. The committee spoke to a wide range of people and gathered much information that enabled it to make its recommendations. While I have disagreed with some of the recommendations in the report, I feel that the committee has been successful in confronting the issues and changes that need to take place for the program to truly reflect the needs of the clients of the methadone program. The methadone program is a vital service to the ACT community. For those wishing to enter the program, it offers opiate users a chance to escape the illegal act of obtaining heroin and perhaps the chance to be free of their addiction, and this is very important. I believe that the methadone program is essential to those wishing to address their addiction and to move beyond it.
I am grateful for the opportunity to be on this committee and to gain an understanding of the difficulties of people who have an addiction such as this. My sympathy is to them and I believe that we should do everything we possibly can for them. I think that the Minister's Bill will take care of that. If you cannot swim, you do not jump in at the deep end of the swimming pool; you jump in at the shallow end and move on. I think that the opening up of two clinics in Canberra, with a third one to come, is the way to go. As I have said in my report, I agree that somewhere down the line, when we know exactly what we are doing, we possibly could look at a private clinic.
I think that this is not enough, however; I feel that we should be doing much more. I think that we should be looking at the situation of the families involved. I think that we should have counselling available to the families too. I think that we should be trying to help the people who really want to get off drugs altogether. When I was on my trip I saw a program in Holland. In Holland it is very easy to get methadone. Anybody who wants to be on methadone can get on methadone, but for anybody who wants to get off it the amount of care given by the government there is incredible. Not only do they take care of the person who wants to get off it and give them time; they also pay employers to give them jobs and to make sure that they make a better go of their life. They also look after the spouses and the children of the people involved.
Beyond that, we should be looking at where it all really starts. We should be looking at the family and what we can do about that part of why people get onto drugs. While on my trip I also saw a program at Stanford University which I thought was one of the best programs I had ever seen. It deals with the child as from day one at school with a view to stopping children going down the track that leads to drug addiction. I think that that is what we should be looking at as well. I think that this is a good step by the Government. I think that the Bill that the Minister has put up is an excellent Bill. I think that the fact that methadone is going to be distributed by two government clinics, and that there is to be a third one, and maybe more after that, is a great step in the right direction.
I would like to thank my staff, who did a lot of research and typing up of interviews with people and my thoughts on the subject. I am very grateful to them. I also thank the members of the committee. It was enjoyable, especially speaking to all the people and getting so much knowledge that we could not have
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .