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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 4 Hansard (20 April) . . Page.. 993 ..

MS CARNELL (continuing):

The most important thing is to keep drug-dependent people alive and as healthy as possible so that they have the best possible chance to stop their drug use. This is the nature of harm minimisation. In schools, a range of approaches to illicit drug use is also important. Simply telling young people to "say no to drugs" will not always work. Support structures need to be in place for those young people who need help to overcome their drug problem.

We need to take a broad view of all of the issues that impact on young people and frame our response to their drug use accordingly. There is not one way to deal with drugs. There are many ways, and we have to be prepared to try things that have the best chance of success. Likewise, it is important to tread very carefully when talking about the concept of compulsory treatment. "Compulsory treatment" is a contradictory term, in my view. If treatment was made compulsory, then it implies all factors relevant to involuntary treatment for people with a mental health illnesses. These factors include provisions for detention, the costs of secure treatment facilities, and involuntary provision of medication. These factors have both human rights and resource implications.

The States and Territories approached with caution the Prime Minister's proposals for zero tolerance in schools and compulsory treatment. At the end of the day, however, I believe that COAG developed a useful set of guidelines for progressing a national approach to illicit drug use. Heads of government agreed to work together to make a new investment in prevention, early intervention, education and the diversion of drug users to counselling and treatment.

States and Territories agreed to strengthen their attack on drug pushers and their responses to drug use within schools and noted the importance of education in preventing growth in illicit drug use and of existing school-based initiatives. The Commonwealth is to provide resources to increase the capacity of schools and school communities to respond to illicit drug use. Heads of governments also agreed to work together to put in place a new nationally consistent approach to drugs in the community.

Mr Speaker, this Government supports additional diversionary mechanisms for people confronting the criminal justice system because of drug-related crime. The funds directed to the ACT are limited. They will not achieve the substantial expansion of treatment programs which the Commonwealth appears to think are necessary. The ACT will examine priorities for treatment funding, highlighting the best opportunities for diverting people who are drug dependent.

COAG noted that drug use in prisons is common and a large proportion of prisoners are incarcerated for drug-related crime. States and Territories agreed to develop and fund programs to intercept the supply of drugs to prisons and to be tough on dealers within prisons, and to develop and trial diversionary treatment programs within the gaol system so that dependent users can break their addiction.

This Government supports the Commonwealth's commitment to making alternative treatments more readily available. The Commonwealth will fast-track consideration of listing naltrexone under the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. I consider this a big step forward. But there is still further to go. Naltrexone is not a cure-all and there are other

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