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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1678 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

Pain and suffering is always a matter of public importance; but, for Mr Moore to raise this issue, apparently in some attempt to convince this Assembly that we ought to be leading Australia in relation to the issue, I think is irresponsible. It is something that ought to be dealt with at a national level - not by self-appointed experts, but by qualified experts who can consider these things in the national context. That, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, is the position of the Labor Party. I trust that level heads will prevail in relation to this issue and that the message to the community out there is not the libertine approach to drug use which has been proposed in the past - - -

Mrs Carnell: You are an old conservative.

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell interjects that I am an old conservative. If Mrs Carnell criticises me for not supporting the open slather approach on drugs, I will cop the criticism, because I do not.

I do support drug law reform in the national context, but I do not support some of the mantra which is chanted by other converts to the libertine approach, such as, "Prohibition does not work". For most people prohibition does work. It is the responsibility of government to provide for those for whom it does not work. The safety net is the Government's responsibility. For most of the people in the community, prohibition does work; but, for many, it does not. Governments have a responsibility to deal with the issues to prevent it from happening. That is why I supported, and in fact initiated, the first expansion of the methadone program here in the ACT - because it was about harm minimisation; but it was a sensible approach in the context of a national standard, not one that was being led by the ACT. It was one that was supported by the Federal Government, and in fact funded by the Federal Government. It was agreed to by all the States and Territories, except the Northern Territory. So it was, by and large, except for 150,000 in the Northern Territory, a national program.

That is the difference between me and the Liberals and Mr Moore. I am not obsessed by the sorts of changes that Mr Moore and the Liberals would support. I am about sensible drug law reform which brings about long-term benefits to the community. I will continue to support that approach, as I have always done.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Minister for Health and Community Care) (4.57): Mr Berry, you are an embarrassment. You are an embarrassment to this Assembly. Considering the years that we have all been in this place and the amount of time we have all had to look at this issue, academically, emotionally and personally, for somebody who was Minister for Health for longer than anybody else in this place to hop up and make those comments is an embarrassment. I am absolutely floored, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. The sorts of comments that Mr Berry made about this side of the house and Mr Moore somehow having an open slather approach on drugs is simply ridiculous. It was those opposite who played silly politics. Mr Moore, do you remember the car stickers?

Mr Moore: I remember them very well.

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