Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ferris for what is a very good question. It is good to see Senator Ferris back in the Senate and back as whip for the government. This is a very important question. It comes on the heels of a very important drug bust yesterday, which was carried out by the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Customs Service. Some 46 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ‘ice’, was the basis of this operation. It is alleged that the drug was hidden in a speedboat imported from Canada. It amounts to one of the largest seizures of this sort of drug in Australia. It is worth remembering here that the very good work done by the Australian Federal Police and Customs has resulted in keeping some 460,000 hits of this very dangerous drug off the streets of Australia. It involved overseas law enforcement. The great cooperation that we received from overseas law enforcement is very much appreciated. I can say that, in this case, it was the very good work by the Australian Federal Police in setting up these sorts of relationships with overseas law enforcement that gives us the intelligence that we need to crack down on organised crime that traffics in drugs. Of course, Customs is doing a great job at the border, keeping illicit drugs out of Australia using its container X-ray equipment, which we have funded over the last few years, and also the skills of the men and women involved in the Australian Customs Service.

The government has maintained a very strong stance in relation to our Tough on Drugs strategy. Our Tough on Drugs policy has involved in excess of $1 billion worth of expenditure and it fights the war on drugs on three fronts: education, health and law enforcement. The education of people, particularly young Australians, about the evils of illicit drugs and the harm they can cause, reduces demand. In health, there is treatment of those who do have a problem with drugs in order to rehabilitate them and put them on a straight course where they can realise their full potential as a member of Australian society. Lastly and importantly, there is law enforcement to reduce supply. We have seen a reduction in the supply of heroin—a reduction which has resulted in a marked decrease in overdose amongst heroin addicts. That is a great testament to the work done by law enforcement, particularly the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Customs Service.

Senator Ferris asked me about alternative policies. I note that the Greens recently changed their policy in relation to illicit drugs. It was an important change when you look at what the Greens had advocated in relation to the supply of cannabis and amphetamine type stimulants. But I note on their website that they still plan to increase the availability of harm reduction programs, including needle and syringe exchanges and medically supervised injecting rooms. We remain resolutely opposed to injecting rooms. We believe the New South Wales option does not work. While I am on that subject, I might remind the Senate that the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Beazley, has supported injecting rooms. In relation to the policy that we have adopted, we will achieve much more success by fighting the drug war on those three fronts than by providing illicit drugs to addicts.