Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

This is the government once again launching an attack on the most vulnerable members of our community. They are showing us all how little they actually understand about substance addictions and its impact on the community. There are further showing us that they do not actually care about the devastating impacts of addiction and the people who experience it. They simply want to punish those who are suffering from addiction rather than helping them.

These impairment tables were a result of a review conducted in 2011. The government is claiming that that report is the justification for this measure. However, the government is selectively reading that report and has failed to understand the reasons for including table 6, functioning related to alcohol, drug and substance use. The functional impacts of substance addictions are unique and cannot be appropriately recognised under the other impairment tables. Experts know that the addiction encompasses both psychological and physiological characteristics and psychological impacts, and must be treated as such.