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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 1112 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

I draw members' attention to one of the most dangerous, misinformed articles that it has been my misfortune to read. This month's Reader's Digest - it may well have been last month's - has as its leading cover story "Australia's Methadone Mess". This article elaborates on what is, according to the uninformed view of the journalist concerned, "a system that doesn't work and that costs taxpayers millions". Yet no mention is made of the millions more that are saved through disease prevention and through getting people's lives together. In the article, Salvation Army spokesperson, Brian Watters, is quoted as saying that methadone for the heroin addict is "like putting a bandaid over a deep infection". Mr Watters argues that the best way to deal with addiction is to participate in long-term residential treatment such as the bridge program offered by the Salvation Army and goes on to proclaim a complete abstinence rate of 33 per cent after 12 months, with another third taking significantly fewer drugs. I must say that I would be interested to see evidence of this kind of success rate. The Reader's Digest article represents an extraordinary disservice to society. It is reckless and indeed dangerous, in that it spreads propaganda that may unfortunately mislead the community, including people whose lives may otherwise be saved by methadone or potential victims who may be saved from robberies or from muggings.

I am very pleased to note, Mr Speaker, that the Australian National Council on Drugs, which is chaired by Major Watters, has recently announced its support for methadone maintenance treatment. The council has endorsed methadone as a valuable and legitimate drug substitution therapy and confirmed its support for the national policy on methadone treatment. The benefits of methadone maintenance treatment have been well documented in research studies both within Australia and internationally. Like other treatment services, methadone maintenance treatment plays an important role in public health by ameliorating the social and individual harm associated with heroin addiction.

The national policy on methadone treatment identifies the immediate and measurable objectives as being "to assist individuals in treatment to reduce drug use, reduce the risk of dying, improve health, and improve lifestyle and social functioning". To the extent that the ACT methadone program achieves these individual objectives, it conveys significant benefit to the ACT community, not only by reducing individual and family distress, but also through reduced drug-related crime and reduced transmission of blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV. The ACT community methadone program is currently being evaluated, and I can assure members that, rather than having the methadone program wound up, as the Reader's Digest would advocate, the ACT Government will be initiating a range of measures to strengthen and enhance the methadone program. I will be reporting back to the Assembly on these proposals in the near future.

It is important that the principles of harm minimisation remain central to national drugs policy, and I assure members of this Assembly that I, as the ACT Minister for Health and Community Care, along with the Chief Minister and my other colleagues such as Mr Humphries, will be taking all possible measures to ensure that this occurs. I commend these initiatives to the Assembly and I look forward in coming months and years to a health policy and program which continue strong and positive developments for the citizens of the national capital.

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