Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for Senator Conroy, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. I am asking this question on behalf of OurSay, an independent community organisation aiming to revitalise participation in Australian democracy—and our democracy could sure do with some revitalisation at the moment.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ask the question.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The OurSay people's question is voted on by the public on the OurSay website. The top-rated question chosen was: Minister, Australia's scheduling of illicit drugs is based on historical precedent rather than any—

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence on my left we will proceed.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, Australia's scheduling of illicit drugs is based on historical precedent rather than any objective measure of harm. Evidence shows some illegal drugs are less harmful than alcohol to users and society, with most harm a direct result of their illicit status. We seem set to repeat the same mistakes in our approach to synthetic drugs. The question is: what is Australia doing to address this unscientific classification of drugs and the resulting unnecessary harm?

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence—on my left!

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. Illicit drug use is a high-risk activity and has been proven to contribute to social, economic and personal harms. New psychoactive substances are emerging that pose a serious risk to both consumers and the broader community because little is known about their short- or long-term health effects and the exact ingredients are also often unknown. The response of all Australian governments to illicit drugs is focused on implementing the National Drug Strategy 2010-2015, which provides a framework for action on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, guided by the principle of harm minimisation. The strategy is aimed at improving the health, social and economic outcomes for Australians by preventing the uptake of harmful drug use and reducing the harmful effects of licit and illicit drugs in our society. The need to control certain drugs is also recognised at the international level, and the Australian government has ratified a number of international agreements that require the criminalisation of these drugs.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a supplementary question which was also rated highly by the public on the OurSay website. Minister, given that law enforcement policies are harming more people than the drugs themselves in many instances and often result in more crime, with recent media reports demonstrating that the illicit drug market is now conservatively estimated at $7 billion per annum, when will this government change its current approach, which is expensive and has failed in terms of targeting end users, and begin treating this as a health issue?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government remains strongly committed to protecting the public from the health and safety risks associated with drug use by balancing health responses with effective law enforcement. The response, as I have mentioned, of all Australian governments to illicit drugs is focused on implementing the National Drug Strategy 2010-2015, which, as I have also said, provides a framework for action on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, guided by the principle of harm minimisation and which has been recognised as a world-leading initiative to combine both health and law enforcement responses.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a further supplementary question asked by the users of OurSay. Recently a New South Wales parliamentary report recommended allowing the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances. Would the federal government support a change to the illicit drug classification of cannabis to allow it to be tested and developed for medical use?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Cannabis is a depressant drug which slows activity in the central nervous system and has been linked to a number of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety and psychosis. The Australian government does not support the legalisation of cannabis, and there is no consideration being given to changing its current status as a prohibited drug under Australian law.