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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2636 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Previously, I have reported to the Assembly on the development of a national public health partnership aimed at developing a national approach to public health and a national policy and action plan for public health in Australia. Ministers have agreed to a bilateral approach between individual States and Territories and the Commonwealth committing to this partnership. The ACT has signed an MOU with the Commonwealth committing to a collaborative work program aimed at strengthening national public health infrastructure and developing major best practice initiatives.

The ACT is supportive of the establishment of a national diabetes strategy, and Health Ministers noted the progress of the drafting of a comprehensive national diabetes strategy and implementation plan. This plan will take a balanced approach to prevention, early detection, treatment and research, and will identify strategies for addressing the key intervention points. The Immunise Australia program is a fundamental health program endorsed by Health Ministers. It provides a national focus for strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases. Some of these strategies are already operational in the ACT, such as school entry legislation. Others that we are looking to progress involve immunisation incentives, hepatitis B vaccinations, education programs and further research. An ACT immunisation strategy will be launched in Children's Week, from 21 to 24 October. The ACT has been supportive of the development of a national framework of stakeholders involved in organ donation and tissue transplantation. This new body, to be termed "Accord", will be publicly accountable and will work to increase the rate of organ donation, retrieval and allocation.

The Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy considered a number of items at its meeting. Council noted and endorsed the general direction of the Evaluation of the National Drug Strategy 1993-97 that was conducted by Professor Timothy Rohl of the Australian Graduate School of Police Management and Professor Eric Single of the University of Toronto. Council also endorsed the development of a national drug strategy framework document for the period from 1998 to the year 2002. Council agreed that the preparation of guidelines on the use of discretion by police and the management of offences when attending an overdose or self-administration incident should be considered by States and Territories. The ACT will give serious consideration to the development of such strategies. Council also endorsed a targeted national strategy for reducing inappropriate demand for, and greater controls over, the supply of prescription drugs as part of a national drug strategic framework.

Council deferred consideration of a strategic approach to illicit drugs to its November meeting. This issue takes on even greater importance, given the Commonwealth's decision to rescind its previous support for the heroin trial. I have expressed elsewhere my deep concerns about the Commonwealth's commitment to the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy. I am obviously extremely disappointed that the Commonwealth has withdrawn its support for the heroin trial just two weeks after supporting it at the meeting of the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy. One must question the Commonwealth's commitment to this and other ministerial councils.

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