Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to speak on a community forum I will be hosting next week on the ice epidemic currently affecting my electorate of Bonner. This is a topic close to my heart. The statistics on methamphetamine use and its devastating impact on families and communities are of great concern to our community. What I found truly confronting are the personal stories my constituents have shared with me. Ice rips apart families and destroys lives. The scourge of ice is growing and it must be addressed at all levels. I was driven to hold the Bonner forum to help tackle this problem at a local level as part of the Australian government's wider measures to combat the scourge of ice. The purpose of the forum is to bring together local law enforcement, medical experts, school and community leaders and individuals whose lives have been impacted by ice. We will be answering the community's questions on ice and the government's measures to stop its spread. My aim with the forum is to start a dialogue within our community. The fight against ice can only be effective when the community and law enforcement work together and keep each other informed. I hope that, with this forum, more people will come to understand the extent of the ice problem and the role that they can play to help stop the spread of this terrible drug.