Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sport, as we all know in this place, is a quintessential part of our Australian way of life. It is part of our national identity and our history. And just think of the Melbourne Cup, due to be run next week—it is the race that stops a nation. Think of the AFL; the agony and the ecstasy of test cricket; the achievement of the Southern Stars, the national women's cricket team; our Diamonds netball team; and how many Australians would not know the immortal Sir Don Bradman or Phar Lap?

As the president of a local footy club for over 10 years, I understand very directly how important sport and sporting clubs are to rural and regional communities. Equally, I understand the passion, the commitment and the hard work, usually for a small number of volunteers who keep these clubs running—clubs across a range of sporting codes that offer opportunities to youth and to people of all ages through sport. Young people in my electorate have gone on to compete at a state, national and international level, and the hopes and dreams of their families and communities go with them. Some of them have come through the excellent programs running at the South West Academy of Sport.

I understand very directly the highs, the lows and perhaps the character-building that go with the challenges of the three knee constructions faced by our current local Harvey AFL player, Anthony Morabito. I also understand the fact that our sporting clubs are often the hub of our communities, that they bring people together. They have a real impact on that local economy as well.

We take great pride in our sporting performance, and even greater pride in a fair go on and off the field, which is what this particular Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment Bill 2014 is all about. It is perpetuating and protecting the fair go in Australian sport on and off the field. Equally, sport makes a direct contribution to the Australian economy, as well as the intangible value of showcasing Australia on the international stage through events like the Sydney Olympics, through our test matches, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, motorsports and, in my part of the world, the Margaret River Pro, formerly the Margaret River Masters, an international surfing event. ABARE data shows that in 2006—an awfully long time ago—the total annual income generated by sport and the recreation industry in Australia was estimated to be $8.82 billion. It would be much more today.

The legislation before the House amends the ASADA Act so that it aligns with the revised World Anti-Doping Code that comes into effect on 1 January 2015. These changes will ensure that Australia remains code compliant and maintains our commitment to drug-free sport. The code will continue to promote health, fairness and equality for athletes all around the world. The changes will prohibit athletes and support personnel from associating with convicted drug cheats. There are a number of changes to the code that will have the effect of longer bans from sport for people involved in intentional doping, elevating the importance of investigations and use of intelligence in the fight against doping and increasing the focus on athlete support personnel who are involved in doping. It also places more emphasis on smart-test distribution planning and smart-menu for sample analysis, balancing the interests of international federations and national anti-doping organisations.

ASADA will work with Australian sporting organisations to ensure anti-doping policies reflect the new code and legislative framework. When you look at how important this is, ask how betrayed and disappointed do we all feel when someone we regard as a sporting legend is proven to have cheated in this way? Just think about, perhaps, something like the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong. This, as we know now, was a very sophisticated doping program. The US Anti-Doping Agency found overwhelming evidence in that case.

The Australian Crime Commission report, Organised crime and drugs in sport, said that available data—including border seizures of performance and image-enhancing drugs, national arrests for steroids and drug-injecting data—all suggest that this market is expanding considerably in Australia, with organised crime engaged in what is clearly a highly-profitable market, delivering a 150 per cent mark-up on peptides and hormones.

I think that a lot of us here are very concerned about what we see in our communities. I would have to touch on the issue of what I see and what we all see as the 'preloading'. I refer to the people who we see interesting in some form a dangerous cocktail of excessive amounts of caffeine-booster drinks— (Quorum formed)

I am delighted that my colleagues chose to join me. Thank you. I wanted to talk about the dangerous cocktail of excessive amounts of caffeine-boosted drinks; the extensive use of supplements that can go with this; steroids; add the odd recreational drug, perhaps like ecstasy; and all topped off by alcohol, before some people go out for the night. It is no wonder in this environment that we have such problems on our streets and in our venues as well as rising individual physical and mental health problems.

It was brought to my attention that there are a range of sports in this country that we focus on. I want to focus on one particular source of illegal drugs: those that are being bought online via the deep web—the online black markets. As people in this place know, I have given over 200 cyber-safety presentations to schools, to parents, to teachers and to community and business groups. I ask parents, 'When your children are online, where are they, who are they with, and what are they doing?' Most parents I speak to, honestly, cannot answer the question. Why is this so important? This is one of the reasons: relevant to this debate is the fact that this is where young people are buying illicit drugs and illegal pharmaceuticals, with very tragic results.

Preston Bridge was a teenager out celebrating with his school mates. One of them gave him a tablet, a drug a friend had bought online on Silk Road—an anonymous online website. It was bought for less than $10 a gram. Of course, no one knows what is actually in these substances. The effects are totally unpredictable, but they can include hallucinations, trying to fly, vomiting, aggression, paranoia and suicidal thoughts. Online, there is one after the other of these seemingly anonymous sites, based in Australia and overseas, that should be concerning all of us. The Silk Road website is just one example—a site that was shut down by the FBI. However, I understand that at least 10 alternative websites were operating very quickly. These online sellers often use general mail to post drugs to buyers. Clearly the network of individuals and companies is highly organised and the internet provides an ideal platform for their activities. And the online buyer also believes that they are anonymous and, in their view, can safely buy a range of illegal substances from performance enhancing drugs to narcotics. This perception of safety can come at a very high personal, physical and mental health cost. Online buyers have absolutely no idea of what they are buying. These are unregulated products. People have no idea what is actually in them, what they are ingesting or taking, or where these products were sourced. Many are not listed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

It can also be risky buying legal drugs online. Again, claims are made about the ingredients or composition of these; however, buyers can often not be certain about the contents. Online sites make some incredible claims about their products—all designed to lure the gullible buyer into parting with their money. However, they may not part only with their money; they may well part with their physical and mental health as well.

There has been a steep increase in the number of Australians searching online for peptides and hormones. There is evidence of the popularity of online stores for peptides and hormones. The Australian Crime Commission say that there has been a 255 per cent increase in border detections of hormones between 2009-10 and 2010-11. At the same time, the number of permits issued by TGA for lawful importation is very low—a dangerous and potentially lethal combination. At the same time, risks exist for those who buy from organised criminal sources.

I encourage parents, when I do these sessions, to know what their children are doing online and to be part of dealing with the issues and challenges young people face. This is their highway. Online drug access is just one reason for parents to be pro-technology and discuss what is happening online with their children. I am glad that the Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications has an inquiry underway looking at the use of the Telecommunications Act by various agencies involved in the disruption of illegal online services—which, of course, includes this particular issue of illegal drugs online.

I am very committed to AFL football and have a history One of my colleagues was very concerned, when I mentioned the various sporting codes and other sporting teams, that I did not mention—and I apologise to the member for Hasluck—West Coast Eagles in Western Australia.

I want to talk briefly again about the online issues and I want to encourage every parent who may be watching tonight and following this debate: your children will use the internet forever. It is their highway—in the same way the highway was for you when you got your driver's license. There are a range of challenges and they are going to need your help. Be the friend and the person they can go to with whatever challenges they face online. There will be a number of them, and they will need your help. So be part of the discussion when you buy that first piece of technology. Discuss it with your children and talk about how you, as a family, are going to use this piece of technology. Discuss what its security strengths and weaknesses are, and discuss what sites they are visiting and what they are doing. Help them out as much as you can. Young people need people who will help them in this space. I hope it is their parents that help them; but, unfortunately, so often these young people tell me that it is not their parents that they can go to when they have a problem online. So it is important that we all understand the technology—

Debate interrupted.

See this speech in context