Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Ellison. Will the minister update the Senate on the Australian government’s commitment to the fight against illicit drugs? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

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

Senator Trood raises a very important issue in the fight against illicit drugs. This is demonstrated by recent operations conducted by the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Customs Service. Before I touch on those, I think the Senate needs to remember that the Howard government’s Tough On Drugs strategy fights the war on drugs on three fronts: education—to educate people, particularly young Australians, to reduce demand so that our next generation of Australians will be educated as to the dangers of illicit drugs; law enforcement—to reduce supply, because you cannot have that success in relation to education and rehabilitation if you do not reduce supply; and rehabilitation, which, as I have mentioned, is very important. It is the third arm of our fight on illicit drugs, and I saw recently in Victoria excellent work being done by Odyssey House in relation to the rehabilitation of people who had a drug addiction.

Of course, recently we have seen great success in relation to major operations conducted on Australian soil and offshore. Just last month the AFP provided intelligence and forensic assistance to the Royal Malaysian Police in relation to the detection and dismantling of a clandestine, illicit drug laboratory near Penang. It has now been confirmed that this is the largest clandestine, illicit drug laboratory ever dismantled. That was a great effort by the Royal Malaysian Police and of course the Australian Federal Police, who were working with them. A laboratory like that in our region was capable of supplying a large amount of amphetamine type stimulants to the region, including Australia.

As well as that, in a joint operation with Customs, the Australian Federal Police seized 370 kilograms of ecstasy in Melbourne in June this year. That equates to 1.3 million tablets which were stopped from reaching the streets of Australian towns and cities. As a result of that seizure, a man has been arrested in Canada. We were involved with police from China, Hong Kong and Canada in an operation which made a very large seizure indeed.

There was also a seizure of 120 kilograms of precursors in Sydney. That was capable of producing $22 million of amphetamine type stimulants. Again, it was very good work by the Australian Federal Police. Again in Sydney, in June this year, a cocaine laboratory was dismantled and a person was arrested as a result of that. Furthermore, in April this year, in regional New South Wales, a major clandestine laboratory in a remote property was dismantled. Seven people who were allegedly involved were arrested. Again, it was very good work done by our federal agencies in the fight against drugs.

That demonstrates that the men and women of the Australian Federal Police, the men and women of Customs and the men and women of the Australian Crime Commission are carrying out a vital fight against illicit drugs in this country, particularly in reducing the supply. We acknowledge the great cooperation we get from the state and territory police. We cannot do it alone. This is a fight in which all governments have to join.

Of course, when I am asked about alternative policies, I am reminded of the member for Denison, Mr Kerr, the former justice minister under the previous Labor government, who said that we have to look at a plan for the management and use of illicit drugs and how we can visit nightspots and see that drugs are taken safely. It is the totally wrong message by the member for Denison in saying that we take a soft approach. We want to see a condemnation of that approach by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Beazley. We want a bipartisan approach in relation to this from the opposition, and we are still waiting for Mr Beazley to condemn those remarks by the member for Denison.