Page 1790 - Week 05 - Thursday, 10 May 2018
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MR PETTERSSON: If pill testing was not available that weekend and those deathly pills were not identified and thrown away, we would be in this place mourning the death of young festival goers. Mr Hanson said that if something happened it would be on the government’s head. He is wrong. It has been and always will be on the heads of those who oppose harm reduction. For every kid that has overdosed on a dangerous batch of pills, they have got a group to blame, the arch conservatives that stopped harm reduction methods.
I think the Chief Police Officer put it quite well:
I think we all understand that when it comes to addressing the impact of drugs in our community the solution is not to arrest our way out of it.
Let us be clear. Pill testing does not say that drugs are safe for use. Drugs are dangerous. Pill testing is the last chance to convince those who are otherwise going to use drugs to think again. Prohibition has failed. The war on drugs has failed. We have a duty as legislators to find solutions. This approach, an approach grounded in common sense, grounded in evidence, is the best way forward. This will save lives.
Debate interrupted in accordance with standing order 74 and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour.
Sitting suspended from 12.42 to 2.30 pm.
Questions without notice
Cabinet—meetings
MR COE: My question is to the Chief Minister. The Freedom of Information Act, in section 23, sets out that open access information for the Chief Minister includes information about each cabinet or cabinet committee decision. The latest available summary of cabinet decisions is dated 19 February. Chief Minister, why have there been no summaries of cabinet decisions published since that date?
MR BARR: I will inquire of the Head of Service in relation to that matter and advise the Assembly in due course.
MR COE: Chief Minister, do you approve what information is published on the cabinet decisions register, and will you publish all the summaries since 19 February?
MR BARR: Cabinet approves the summaries. That is part of the cabinet agenda. They are approved in accordance with the legislation and the Cabinet Handbook. I will check with the Head of Service as to why there are not summaries for the month of March available on the website.
MR WALL: Chief Minister, has cabinet approved any cabinet summaries since the February meeting of the 19th?
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