Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am in continuation with regard to the anti-methamphetamine education program I was talking about before. I described how this education program had been introduced in Montana, which had been ranked the fifth-worst state in the whole of the USA.

In September 2005, the Meth Project launched an aggressive public education campaign of saturation-level advertising. After two years of the Project, teen meth use had declined 45 percent, adult meth use declined 72 percent, and Montana went from ranking fifth in the nation for meth abuse to number 39. The campaign continued and by 2009, teen meth use in Montana had declined by more than 63 percent, and meth-related crimes had decreased by 62 percent.

Other states also got on board. Part of the program was engaging the community and getting the whole community involved to assist the police and the services that were fighting against meth. Teens committed to the Montana Meth Project, and that commitment has remained steady over many years. In 2009:

The state of Montana had pledged $500,000 over a two-year period for the Montana Meth Project, but teens wanted elected officials to double that amount to $1 million. The teens put together a petition and gathered 55,000 signatures over a six-month period. Then, in the largest teen demonstration in Montana's history, more than 2,300 youths came from across the state to march to the steps of the state capitol in Helena, escorted by a Blackhawk helicopter, recovering meth addicts, local Native American tribes, teachers, parents, and volunteers of all ages.

This is an example of a program I am going to try to roll out in my electorate by engaging the community to assist. It's about education and about parents having that discussion with their children, telling them what methamphetamines are made of and convincing them why they should never, ever take even one tablet. I applaud Rod Bridge and David Hobbs for the work they're doing in educating schoolchildren throughout the state of Western Australia. I implore my constituents in Swan to go to my website, steveirons.com.au, and register their interest in getting involved in a community program against methamphetamines in Western Australia and in Swan.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I also to take this opportunity to wish you, your family and all my colleagues a very merry Christmas. Every year I try to get a speaking spot on the last sitting day of the year. To all my colleagues on the opposition benches, merry Christmas, and we look forward to seeing you all back here. I hope you enjoy the time you have with your families, who well deserve you back at their homes, and the same to my colleagues. The year is finishing on a high note for many people. Hopefully, we'll see the result of that this afternoon in the chamber. I also take this time to thank my staff, who have supported me so strongly over the last year; my wife, who is here; and my nephew, Dejaun Ferriere, who attended parliament for the first time today.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 12 : 49