Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I guess the first thing we should clarify—because there seems to be a complete lack of understanding in this chamber at the moment—is that what Senator Cash proposed is a motion. It's not a bill. It's got nothing to do with territory rights. It's a motion to set up an inquiry. Remember when those opposite were all about transparency? We know that was just all talk before an election, but we have seen Senator Pocock also claim that he wanted transparent government, and the Greens purport to want transparent government. But we know that, given any opportunity to block an inquiry proposed by the coalition, they will team up—team Greens and Pocock with the Labor Party—and oppose any inquiry that might shine a light in the dark places of the policy agenda that they're pushing forward.

These ACT government laws are extremely concerning. They are incredibly concerning laws that will be in effect in less than a fortnight. We know that the ACT government down in London Circuit just want you to believe that these laws aren't uncontroversial—'nothing to see here'—but they really do bring under threat the ability of our kids to grow up in safe environments. They bring into doubt the safety that we all take for granted in walking the streets without concern, worry or fear. It's a feeling that a lot of people overseas and internationally have—that the safety that we have in our streets is something that many nations and many communities would aspire to—yet those in the ACT now seem to be set and intent on a way to make people in Canberra feel less safe in their own city.

I think there is a lack of willingness, particularly from the Labor government, but what should we expect, though? The fact is that they are dismissing this out of hand, with zero regard for those families who have expressed concern, those families that have lost children to drug addiction and those families who have got children battling drug addiction, and the fact is that they have no interest in hearing from those families in Canberra and what impacts this could have on them and the children that they may have who are dealing with addiction or how it makes them feel, having lost children to drug overdoses. But these are the things that the ALP and, of course, the ACT ALP-Greens government are completely blind to.

The ACT government's Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Act 2022 will commence on 28 October, and it was just rushed through the territory Legislative Assembly as a private member's bill to avoid any real scrutiny. I note that Senator Shoebridge, in his contribution, said that the inquiry that had apparently been held by the ACT government showed that there was 100 per cent support from everyone. Everyone thought this was a cracking idea. If we went back and checked the Hansard, we would see he said there was 100 per cent, because I particularly remember Senator Brockman calling out: 'Really—100 per cent? Wow, that's extraordinary.'

So, if they are so confident of this 100 per cent support, why are they afraid of an inquiry? Let these experts come and tell us, after rolling out the red carpet with drug cocktails—ice, heroin, cocaine, speed, acid and other drugs—upon arrival. Obviously, this is the way the Greens do their national conference: roll out the green carpet and hand out the drugs. As an aside, I used to love going out with Senator Heffernan, when it was time for election day, to a polling booth. He used to go and helpfully suggest to those on the booth working for the Greens that he'd help them hand out, at which point he would walk around handing out their how-to-vote cards, suggesting free drugs for everyone. It's funny they used to get a bit upset about that, but it turns out that Bill was pretty much on the money, as he so often was.

But why would our national's capital be so eager to garner the reputation of being Australia's drug capital? Why would they want that as their moniker? This selfish and ill-conceived policy doesn't consider the implications of their drug laws filtering into the adjacent states. I say that as a New South Wales senator. New South Wales police have voiced concerns in the past with cannabis legislation in the ACT. It would set up the drug trade to filter into New South Wales, making New South Wales drug policing all the more difficult.

Despite the ACT government running from scrutiny, we just shouldn't do it in the federal setting.