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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (2 September) . . Page.. 2760 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

The evaluation of the national drug strategy 1993-97 has shown that there is room for improvement right across Australia. The National Drug Strategy Committee has recommended that the following six principles should underpin the future national drug strategy. These are, first, commitment to harm minimisation; second, commitment to a national approach to all licit and illicit drugs; third, the importance of the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, MCDS, as the forum for intergovernmental decisions on drug issues affecting health and law enforcement; fourth, the right and need for Ministers to receive independent advice; fifth, the importance of partnership with the non-government sector; and, sixth, the need for a flexible and responsive decision-making structure. Each of these principles is relevant to, and is being implemented in, the ACT.

It is proposed that, in light of the recommendations of the evaluation of the national drug strategy, the current Inter-Departmental Committee on Alcohol and Drugs will be restructured to form a new expert reference group with representatives from both the government and non-government sectors. As already noted, the ACT drug strategy 1995-97 is to be evaluated in the latter part of 1997. This evaluation will guide us in preparing a drug strategy for the future.

Clearly, much has been achieved in the implementation of the ACT drug strategy. However, the evaluation will need to take into account any shortcomings of the strategy and changes since the development of the strategy, including the evaluation of the national drug strategy. The evaluation of the ACT drug strategy 1995-97 will include a comprehensive community and stakeholder consultation process - something that is very important, Mr Speaker. The ACT Government is committed to ensuring that the ACT has a drug strategy which meets the needs of the community and, in particular, meets the needs of people affected by drugs. Mr Speaker, this is an area to which the Government is particularly committed, and I am very proud that the ACT is spending more in this area than any other State. I present the following paper:

ACT drug strategy 1995-97, ministerial statement, 2 September 1997.

I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

MR MOORE (4.10): Mr Speaker, in rising to speak to this ministerial statement on the ACT drug strategy, I draw the Assembly's attention to the fact that I have written to you and asked you to withdraw my request for debate on a matter of public importance, being the ACT heroin trial. It seems to me that that is so close to the issue that we are dealing with that we can deal with the two issues at once. The Chief Minister now has the opportunity to speak in reply, should that be convenient. Mr Speaker, it seems to me that a ministerial statement that deals with all the issues of a drug strategy is much more important than dealing with just the issue of the heroin trial. The heroin trial was only ever one small part of a very broad strategy to deal with a range of issues.

Let me say, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, why I see it as a particularly important part of the general strategy. In the long term I believe that we will never achieve any success against the second most lucrative industry in the world, against a $400 billion profit industry, until we find ways to undermine the black market, a market that is based on

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