Page 3085 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 24 September 2014
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ACT with policies already rolled out in pubs, clubs and restaurants and out the front of public buildings. Already these bans are in place. There is also some discussion about expanding the smoking ban to include the jail. This is based on evidence that proves that smoking causes long-term health issues that inevitably lead to death. But what of the long-term health effects of prolonged illicit drug use?
One of the most compelling arguments, in my view, against the introduction of an NSP is a risk of prolonged use and abuse of illicit drugs. Ultimately, in my view—and it is the view of my colleagues—a needle and syringe program is not something that is a priority for the ACT government and the decision to proceed with the trial should be abandoned immediately. I commend this motion to the Assembly.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Minister for Health, Minister for Higher Education and Minister for Regional Development) (10.52): The government will not be supporting this motion today, and I will go through the reasons why. The ACT government, after a lot of work and a lot of consideration of the issues in terms of operating the Alexander Maconochie Centre and the health services within it, has decided that a needle and syringe program would complement other existing strategies that are available within the jail and within the Hume medical centre to manage some of the conditions that are presented by prisoners living at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
The needle and syringe program has never been seen, and never will be seen, as the only response. It is part of a comprehensive approach to managing blood-borne viruses within a correctional setting. I know that there is strong concern from the staff representatives in particular about the model that could be introduced. The ACT government has taken a very reasonable and considered response to those concerns that have been raised by staff about the potential introduction of a needle and syringe program in the jail.
It is very clear that people who live at the Alexander Maconochie Centre for short or long periods have very high levels of hepatitis C within that community. There are also a whole range of responses to that, and I think that in the ACT prisoners are given access to excellent health care for conditions that they may have and education around how to manage the transmission of blood-borne viruses within the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Over the last three years we have been talking with staff around how a needle and syringe program could be implemented in the Alexander Maconochie Centre. At every stage—I have met with staff a number of times—staff have provided us with their feedback. I think that, in terms of how we have tried to develop a model, we have been able to respond to most of the concerns that have been raised by staff. I know that some of these concerns go, for example, to issues of syringes being used as weapons within a workplace, and the response to that. When you look at the evidence of where needle and syringe programs operate overseas, and there are about 12 countries where NSPs have been implemented, there have been no reports of syringes having been used as weapons in any prison with an operating needle and syringe program.
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