Page 2757 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 16 August 2005
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assistance in this respect. I think that is being applied to good use. I think it is important, though, that we constantly listen to those in the field. I had the opportunity last week to talk to a senior commonwealth official who had lead responsibility for dealing with issues impacting on the indigenous population of Australia in relation to substance abuse and dependency. That discussion enlightened me considerably on the matter of petrol sniffing and glue sniffing and all that goes with it. I was counselled to ensure that I kept things in context. I believe it to be about 600 people who are affected. It is certainly a terrible consequence for those who are affected, but I was reminded that there were many other health issues.
I was also counselled on the point of view—and I found this interesting—when I said, “What progress are you making in terms of life expectancy and so forth?” that this will be a longer-term process and one should not look to instant change in this area; that it is statistically going to take quite a time to see health improvements. In some areas, I was informed, there has been better progress in relation to adverse health issues in the indigenous community than there has been in the broader community at large; and in other areas there has been less progress. So the situation is, I understand, somewhat complex and needs to be viewed with a fairly open mind.
I am not critical of the matter of public importance—I would support it, as would Mrs Burke, as she has pointed out—but I think it is also important to recognise the good work that is going on in these communities. Not every problem in life is solved through dollars. It is so easy in this establishment to say, “Let us spend more; let us spend more.” I think what is very important is making sure that what you spend is targeted effectively.
I was most impressed, when I was at the centre in Narrabundah the other day, to talk to somebody who was in the frontline of undertaking work with young people who, in a number of cases, had substance abuse problems. He explained to me his work in a very simple way. I was very moved to hear about this. He talked about the progress he had made with young people, getting them involved with sport and trying to get them away from the terrible consequences of illicit substances.
I said to him that it was a story that ought to be heard by many more people. He was not looking for praise, adulation, from a local politician, but simply was telling me the story. I said it was the sort of work that I think the people of Canberra should get credit for because it is not just those in these programs that are getting benefit but also the broader Canberra community if we can keep people on the straight and narrow.
I did have the opportunity, along with Mrs Burke, to attend the launch at the centre of the playing cards initiative. They are health messages on playing cards. That was launched for indigenous Australia as part of Drug Action Week. I thought it was a clever initiative; it was thoroughly researched, we were informed. The federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne, delivered the launch.
I must say that Mr Pyne has probably delivered one of the most illuminating speeches, not on that occasion particularly but at the National Press Club recently, on personal responsibility and the role of the state in health issues. It was about the first time I have heard anyone in his role actually bring things back into a measure of balance and say that at the end of the day we, as individuals, have to take charge of matters and cannot constantly rely on the state or intervention by the state to deal with our affairs. It was
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