Page 1781 - Week 05 - Thursday, 10 May 2018
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for a government to be the first in Australia to adopt this kind of measure. I am so glad that the minister and the government chose to make their decision based on the evidence.
Of course, there are so many others who need to be thanked, starting with the members of the STA-SAFE consortium. I want to particularly mention Dr David Caldicott, Gino Vumbaca, and Matt Noffs, as well as the organisations who supported them. The consortium answered every question, filled in every form, and persisted despite multiple setbacks. This has been years of work in the making. I thank these leading harm minimisation experts for the time and energy they have put in to making this trial a reality.
In addition to the efforts of the harm minimisation experts, support from the law enforcement community has also been crucial. For years, it has been assumed that police would oppose a pill testing trial. Despite the often tough rhetoric, we know that police are also frustrated by the harm they continue to see from young people experimenting with drugs.
Contributions of retired Superintendent Frank Hansen and former AFP Commissioner Mick Palmer are just a couple of examples of an important voice in the debate to show people that harm minimisation is not about endorsing illicit drug use, but it is about reducing harm for young people in our community.
I also want to specifically mention the work of the ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Policing, who were involved in the planning, and were on the ground on the day helping to make everything come together. Our ambulance officers see the harm of these kind of substances every day. They know the benefit that a trial like this can bring.
I was also really pleased to see the comments from the Chief Police Officer, who called the trial a “great success”, and said that ACT Policing would support future pill testing efforts. It is powerful to see an acknowledgement that, while law enforcement has an important role to play, there is also a role for education and health services to respond to illicit drug issues.
Importantly, I want to thank the Canberra community for their strong support, often in the face of political opposition. For a long time the public has been ahead of politicians in knowing that we need to take a different approach to drug use, a health focused approach that makes keeping our young people safe the first priority. The community knows that the law and order approach to drugs is not working, and their support through our petition and the keep Canberra safe campaign has been instrumental in enabling a fundamental shift in the political mindset around how we should treat drug use. This is a great example of how community support can drive change to policy.
My thanks also go to the promoter of Groovin the Moo, Cattleyard Promotions, and their general manager, Kathryn Holloway. I know they had a number of reservations before the event. Again it takes courage for event organisers to allow an initiative like this to go ahead for the first time. I thank them for staying engaged in the negotiations
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