Page 4446 - Week 14 - Thursday, 1 December 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Humphries: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. Mr Berry well knows how to refer to people in this place. If he wants us to refer to him in a half-decent fashion, he should do the same thing towards members on this side of the house.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you for that good advice.
MR BERRY: I was just pointing out who it was.
MADAM SPEAKER: No, Mr Berry. Just ask your question.
MR BERRY: Is it really David Prowse with a wig on?
Madam Speaker, in January this year, Mrs Carnell told the annual convention of the Young Liberals that she supported making heroin available. The party says no, and Mrs Carnell says yes. Could the Minister tell the Assembly whether the Government has any plans to make heroin available in the ACT?
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, I think the Government should make some statement about this, given the strange events of the last couple of days. Last year, Mr Kaine said that it was outrageous to decriminalise cannabis, an idea supported by only an irresponsible few in the community - - -
Mr Humphries: But you liked the idea.
MR CONNOLLY: That "few in the community" seems to be a majority in the Liberals' party room at the moment. I think there is great community disquiet about what the Liberal Party is doing as it meddles and stumbles around in this drugs debate. I clearly supported, and do support, the idea of on-the-spot fines for cannabis. I think it is a very sound idea. I have argued the case for that very strongly and very loudly all around Australia. It was a pleasure to work with Mr Moore on that law reform exercise - where we, as is the hallmark of this Labor Government, engaged in progressive reform, bringing the community with us.
In relation to the proposals for heroin reform, we have said - partly agreeing with Mr Moore - that, clearly, in the current approaches to heroin, there is a problem around Australia and around the world. Wars on drugs are not working. We have a major problem. A lot of crime is related to heroin. There is some interesting - indeed, compelling - academic work that suggests that there may be some benefit in looking at this idea of controlled opiate trials. But we have also said, consistently with our approach throughout, that we will not go it alone. We will not allow the people of Canberra suddenly to wake up one morning and read in their newspaper that there is going to be a heroin trial in Canberra. We will run the idea through the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy. We will seek to build coalitions of support across Australia.
Mr De Domenico: What did Robert Menzies say - - -
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .