Page 1787 - Week 05 - Thursday, 10 May 2018
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As members would be well aware, the review of the previous ACT alcohol, tobacco and other drugs strategy was put on hold in 2015 while the national drug strategy was developed. The new ACT drug strategy action plan which has been significantly progressed in the past six months will be consistent with the three pillars of supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction which are set out in the national strategy agreed by all governments. Following targeted consultation with the alcohol and other drugs sector, the draft drug strategy action plan will also be released for broader community consultation and I look forward to making further announcements about this in the coming weeks.
It is important to be very clear that the ACT government does not approve or condone illicit drug use. Our message to the community will always be that it is dangerous to take illicit drugs. They are inherently unsafe. But pill testing services provide information on the content of the drugs tested which might include unexpected contaminants or substances, indeed as was found at the trial, the risks involved and how to reduce them.
Patrons of pill testing services are never advised that taking drugs is safe. Indeed perhaps the most prominent advocates of this important message were the proponents of the pill testing trial themselves. The members of the consortium consistently said that they will never advise a patron that it is safe to take drugs. They are simply providing a service to help people make safer and more informed decisions.
The government will continue to support pill testing which is conducted by an independent consortium. The government will continue to take a stance on important issues such as this. Indeed this is a milestone harm reduction activity which demonstrates the contemporary approach of the government. I am pleased to say that, should we receive future proposals to conduct a pill testing trial at another festival, the government will again consider the proposal on its merits and welcomes the opportunity to work with an event open to supporting pill testing.
I think this is a really tremendous example of a number of organisations, advocacy groups and political parties coming together on an important public policy matter. I certainly acknowledge Minister Rattenbury in his capacity as the leader of the ACT Greens over a long time advocating this.
The momentum of community advocacy from public health organisations and advocates, from the medical community, from the harm reduction community and, indeed, as we have seen, from senior former law enforcement officials right around the country has led to a recognition, as has been the case in a cross-partisan way for many years, that drug policy is informed by three key pillars: harm reduction, supply reduction, demand reduction.
It is of particular interest to note the opposition has never spoken about harm reduction. Their health spokesperson has not spoken on this issue in any way that reflects any commitment from the opposition to harm reduction in drug policy. It is widely supported by all political parties around Australia and I note that their approach to this has been only on a supply or demand reduction solely focused on the law enforcement aspects of drug policy.
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