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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 7 Hansard (5 June) . . Page.. 1917 ..

MS GALLAGHER (continuing):

It is unacceptable that such a cowardly act should go relatively unnoticed by our community and it is my hope that, with this motion, we will be able to initiate further action. I would like to see this Assembly working with the Australian Federal Police and continuing on from the hard work of Operation Skeet, which has already done so much to raise the issue of drink spiking with ACT club operators and patrons. Operation Skeet seeks to use a multi-agency approach to heighten public awareness of the increase in drink spiking, whilst at the same time investigating and gathering intelligence regarding the incidence of drinks drugging in Canberra and implementing education programs throughout the ACT. Operation Skeet is also aimed at the production and distribution of ecstasy, so the focus is also on illicit drug taking and selling, not only drink spiking. It is usually the ecstasy-related activities of the police, such as drug raids, that receive the media attention.

The time has come to focus specifically on drink spiking: what it is, how to avoid it, when to report it and how to stop it. The Australian Federal Police in Canberra have already commenced organising community, social and industry groups to work together to target approaches to drink spiking. However, I feel that it would also be appropriate if the role of coordinating this round-table approach was an independent one. That role should reflect particularly the importance of education in this issue and the need for an independent centralised reporting mechanism that can assist in intelligence collection and ultimately the prosecution and prevention of drink spiking.

The Federal Police have recognised the value of taking a multifaceted approach to drink spiking and it is time for the Assembly to lend its support to this approach and for the government to provide leadership on this issue. Drink spiking is not just a criminal matter; it is also an education issue, a health and community matter and a matter which ultimately impacts on the quality of life of Canberra citizens. It is incumbent upon this government, as the body best able to facilitate cross-community and cross-service cooperation, to do all it can to bring the major stakeholders together and deliver to Canberrans an environment in which they are empowered by their knowledge of potential dangers and how to avoid them, and ultimately deliver a safer environment in which the men and women of the ACT are able to lead sociable and social lives free from fear and worry that their drink may have been tampered with or laced with drugs.

We must recognise that traditional policing methods are not suited to reducing the incidence of drink spiking. Education is emerging as the best way of dealing with this crime as education can increase community awareness and change attitudes so that people are aware of what to look out for and more willing to report incidents. Changes in attitude also make it easier for the police to gather information about drink spiking, which helps to target approaches to the problem. Education can also be aimed at support services, such as GPs and sexual health clinics, so that they know what to look for and how to report it.

By working together, the community can come up with innovative and helpful solutions to tackle the problem from different angles, while involving the community in helping to secure for Canberra a safe and healthy social environment. There are many things that can be done. For example, some countries distribute swizzle sticks that test if a drug has been added and an English company is developing a beer mat with a removable strip that can be used to test drinks. Already, poster and sticker education campaigns have been

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