Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Crime Commission entitled Inquiry into the manufacture, importation and use of amphetamines and other synthetic drugs (AOSD) in Australia, together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee, and I move that the report be printed.

Ordered that the report be printed.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

At the outset of tabling this report I want to congratulate the Howard government and indeed the parliament—as I understand drugs policy is relatively bipartisan—on the work the Australian government has done to stop the importation and use of illicit drugs, particularly amphetamines and other synthetic drugs. The Tough on Drugs policy is a strategy which has been vigorously pursued and it demonstrates not only the government’s but the community’s aversion to illicit drugs.

I want to particularly place on record the great work that the Australian Customs Service, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission do in protecting Australians from the scourge of illicit drugs. I ask the Minister for Justice and Customs to pass on to those agencies my congratulations, and I am confident in doing this that I speak on behalf of all members of the committee.

Recognition should also be made of the work the state and territory police forces do, many times in difficult circumstances because of the stupidity of state boundaries and different laws in different states—but more about that later. Across the board we were considerably assisted by the evidence, experience and plans of the state law enforcement agencies. I thank them for their contribution not only to the report but also in the part they play in helping to protect Australians from organised crime and illicit drugs. So many other Commonwealth and state government agencies do mighty work in trying to address the problems arising from drug consumption in Australia; I also thank them for what they do and for the assistance they gave to the committee.

But, whilst governments do everything in their power to reduce supply and demand, it is a very sad but unfortunately true fact that we are losing the fight against the consumption of illicit drugs. Australia has the highest consumption of ecstasy per head of population in the world—3.4 per cent of the population, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Just last weekend—and indeed every weekend, according to evidence given to us by the Victorian police service—some 100,000 pills of synthetic drugs are consumed by Australians. AOSD users cut cross all sectors of society and come from a variety of backgrounds. Users may range from well-educated professionals who, for example, use ecstasy and methamphetamine at dance parties, through to marginalised injecting drug users who use methamphetamine and/or cocaine.

In many cases illicit drug consumption leads to downstream impacts that destroy lives and personal relationships and become a huge burden on the health systems of the nation. Mental disease and disorders, long-term and sustained illnesses and even death are results of the taking of amphetamines and other synthetic drugs. The rise in methamphetamine use, particularly regular use in its purer forms, base and ice, has been linked to an increase in mental illness in users. Common problems include increased aggression, agitation, depression and symptoms of psychosis. The Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform submission quoted work by McKetin and others which estimates:

… the prevalence of psychosis among regular methamphetamine users was 11 times higher than that seen in the general population.

Whilst the majority of AOSD in Australia are imported, recent seizures of precursor chemicals and detections of clandestine laboratories show that domestic manufacture of amphetamines and other synthetic drugs is increasing in Australia. Detections of clandestine laboratories by law enforcement agencies have increased significantly, rising from 58 in 1996-97 to 381 in 2004-05.

The committee heard evidence of significant organised crime involvement in the importation, domestic manufacture and distribution of AOSD, particularly methamphetamine and MDMA, in Australia. Production of AOSD appears to be presently concentrated in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The manufacture and distribution of AOSD by organised criminal groups and opportunistic producers involves business ventures motivated by significant financial gains.

The committee acknowledges that tension exists around the harm reduction and demand reduction potential of pill-testing programs. There are concerns that such schemes equate to condoning drug taking, could expose pill-testing authorities or practitioners to civil or criminal liability and could endanger users of such services. Whilst the committee acknowledges that pill-testing proponents are well intentioned, a majority of the committee considered that such programs have yet to overcome these legitimate and serious concerns.

I should mention, however, on a personal note, that I was impressed by the sincerity of Dr Caldicott and his team and the work he does. Again, on a personal basis, I am a bit torn between what I have seen with respect to the use of those pill-testing programs and the difficulties which I mentioned earlier, which still have to be overcome. Because of those differing views about the benefits of harm minimisation, the report contains no deliberative recommendations in relation to harm minimisation, apart from recommendation 7, which states:

The Committee recommends that the Victorian feasibility study for an illicit tablet monitoring and information service be monitored and, as appropriate, the outcomes independently evaluated by the appropriate Commonwealth government agency.

The committee also recommended:

… in the execution of the National Drug Strategy, harm-reduction  strategies and programs receive more attention and resources.

The committee believes it is critical that adequate funds be made available to research the long-term effects of these drugs and to provide adequate treatment and assistance for mental and physical health problems that arise from AOSD use. The committee also considers that such funding should be available for support for the families of users.

An enormous amount of work was done by government agencies, and I know that the Minister for Justice and Customs will continue to do all that is humanly possible to prevent illicit drug consumption by Australians. Strategies to address precursor drugs not only in Australia but overseas are innovative and useful. Any number of private agencies, including the Pharmacy Guild and the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, have programs in place that do substantially contribute to the detection and reduction of the supply of amphetamines and other synthetic drugs. Indeed, the committee’s recommendation 12 asks the Commonwealth government, in collaboration with state and territory governments and pharmacists, to continue to implement Project STOP nationally.

The effectiveness of drug education programs is dependent on how information is presented. Some submitters were critical of the role the media played, accusing the media of scaremongering. There were also concerns raised about the media’s use of the term ‘party drug’ and the name ‘ecstasy’ for MDMA. The use of such terms reinforces particular positive social expectations or impressions and thereby undermines, to a degree, the efforts of health, education and law enforcement sectors.

There were a number of recommendations in relation to public education and demand-reduction campaigns. After the hearing, it is my belief that young people at the coalface are not closely enough involved in strategies to address the impacts and consequences of illegal drug taking. I place on record my appreciation to those young people who did, directly and indirectly and often anonymously, provide information to the committee. I particularly want to thank the then Triple J drivetime producer and announcer Steve Cannane for the help he gave in arranging a three-quarter hour Triple J talkback session on drugs, which I and the committee found very useful in trying to understand views of consumers and young people.

One of the recommendations related to the need for the ACC to be well funded to discharge its responsibilities. There were a number of other recommendations which related to the difficulty in Australia faced by law enforcement and other agencies dealing with nine different legislative and government jurisdictions. This is just crazy in a country like Australia. There are a number of recommendations calling for greater coordination of state and federal laws and approaches to drug offences.

I thank the Australian Crime Commission and its executive director, Mr Milroy, for the assistance they gave to the committee during its inquiry. Particularly, I want to place on record the indebtedness of the committee and indeed all Australians to the work done by the committee secretariat, in particular our research advisers Anne O’Connell and Ivan Powell, the committee secretary, Dr Jacquie Dewar, and the administrative officer Jill Manning.

The compilation of this report and the investigations that went into it involved committee members and the secretariat in a lot of travel and a lot of work. I acknowledge that members of the committee have made an outstanding effort in attending hearings and in contributing to the final report. Many of them have other electoral and parliamentary commitments which they were able to juggle to contribute to the outcome of this investigation. I want to place on record my thanks to colleagues on the committee, in particular the deputy chairman, the Hon. Duncan Kerr SC MP, and the members, namely Senators Ferris, Polly, Ludwig and Bartlett (Extension of time granted) and Ms Gash, and two former policemen and members of parliament, Kim Richardson and Jason Wood, whose contribution was particularly useful because they knew what they were talking about in many instances. Also I should mention Chris Hayes, a member of our committee who was involved with the Police Federation of Australia and New Zealand prior to his entry into parliament. His contribution was also very learned and well received.

I commend the report to the Senate and I urge the government to seriously consider each and every one of the recommendations and, as appropriate, to implement those recommendations for the benefit of Australians in the future.