Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

In the short time I have available to me I wanted to talk about the difference between rhetoric and reality. We say on the one hand that we support an issue, we want to do our best for that issue and we want to see real change and on the other hand we see government, despite its rhetoric in a number of very important areas—areas where I would agree with them—instead cutting funding for the real services that make a real difference to people's lives.

I was watching the ice advertising. It is a fine campaign against the drug ice that points out the terrible effect that it has on individuals, families and communities. I thought it was wonderful that we had a public education campaign on this damaging drug, but what about the services that deliver real change in people's lives—the beds in facilities where addicts would turn for rehabilitation, the prevention services that teach young people about the dangers of these drugs? We have seen massive cuts—hundreds of millions of dollars—from the programs that do drug and alcohol prevention and other community health services. The real effects of those are quite different from the rhetoric of the advertising campaigns. The real effects mean treatment facilities are harder to find and prevention services that used to exist now face funding cuts. This includes excellent services like the Haymarket Foundation, which is not in my electorate but in the neighbouring electorate of Wentworth. (Time expired)

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