Page 3752 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 24 September 2019
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this right. This is not something that we see as a separation in terms of the philosophy between the Liberal Party, the Labor Party and, as I understand it, the Greens.
I think we are all on board with this. I think the outcomes are proven in other jurisdictions to work. We have to work together to make sure that this rolls out well. It is good that we are here at this point. I think it is something that we could have done earlier, but that is probably water under the bridge. We are here now; we have got to get it right; we have to work together on this.
I think we have to do what we can to help people who are affected by the scourge of drugs. If these people then find themselves in the criminal justice system, where appropriate we should divert them away from those drugs. In some cases it does need a coercive type element that will be provided by the courts. It may be the threat of a custodial sentence or other measures to make sure that people can go on a pathway away from taking drugs and away from crime to lead full and prosperous lives.
I think that is a good and a noble thing. We look forward to working where we can with the government to make sure that that is realised here in the ACT. I commend what you are doing here. I say to the Attorney-General: make sure you resource it properly. We will be supporting the bill and the amendments.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (10.46): The ACT Greens strongly support this bill, and the government’s further amendments, as collectively they represent the next step towards the completion of a key parliamentary agreement item that will serve to improve the ACT’s justice system and bring practical benefits to the difficult and complex subject of substance use in our community.
The ACT Greens took the concept of a drug and alcohol court to the last election, in 2016, as it represents a strongly evidence-based approach to drug law reform and criminal justice. We were then able to secure it as part of the parliamentary agreement with the Labor Party, and I thank the Attorney-General for progressing this reform since that time.
As Mr Hanson has noted in his remarks, drug courts are not new. They operate quite differently to a traditional court and they operate in diverse jurisdictions around Australia and the world. They are deemed a successful and often essential response to substance use and offending by courts, law enforcement agencies and governments of all political persuasions.
Sometimes referred to as therapeutic jurisprudence, this approach is an interdisciplinary method of legal practice that aims to reform the law in order to positively impact the psychological wellbeing of the accused person and therefore deeply resonates not just with the ACT Greens policy on drug law reform but also with my ministerial priorities regarding justice reinvestment. I am really enthusiastic about seeking to promote this approach and ensuring that we move this forward and offer this as part of our justice landscape in the ACT.
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