Jo Lindgren (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Rural Health and Minister for Regional Communications, Senator Nash. Will the minister provide the Senate with details on the government's recent response to the final report of the National Ice Taskforce?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Minister for Rural Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Many people in this chamber and beyond will be aware of the work that the National Ice Taskforce did last year, culminating in a report to government. The thing that became very clear is that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem—that we absolutely have to focus as well on reducing demand. This government recognises how significant this problem is for this country, and we are seeing continuing reports of the rise in the use of this drug. That is why the government committed almost $300 million to tackle ice, which has been very well received right around the country.

As part of that, there is going to be $241.5 million that is going to go to treatment and rehab services. This is incredibly important because, as we say, we cannot arrest our way out of this, and we have to assist people to get off this drug. It is in recognition of that that a very significant component of this package is going towards those things. There is also $13 million going to a new MBS item for addiction medicine specialists. This means that we are going to be able to increase the availability of treatment in this area. There will be $24.9 million going towards families and communities. As I travelled around the country along with my colleague Michael Keenan, the Minister for Justice, I saw that the impact on families and communities is devastating. That is why this coalition government recognised that the funding component had to be significant to allow families and communities to be assisted and, indeed, allow local communities themselves to be part of addressing this problem, something that they said to us continually as we and the task force were moving around the country.

Jo Lindgren (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister inform the Senate how the government's response feeds into COAG's National Ice Action Strategy?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Minister for Rural Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The measures from the government's package have formed a key component of the National Ice Action Strategy, and I was very pleased to see, as many were at the COAG meeting last year, that the strategy was agreed. I think it is a significant step forward to have not only the Commonwealth but the states and territories involved in this response. The Commonwealth said right from the very beginning that we certainly could not do this alone.

This is also aimed at preventing people from taking up this drug. It is not just about dealing with people who are, unfortunately, caught up in the use of this drug; it is also about prevention and ensuring that they do not take the drug in the first place and that we do everything we can to reduce the harms. So the strategy will be, of course, around families and communities, as I have mentioned, and around prevention messages that are targeted at high-risk populations so that we do everything we can to reduce the take-up of this drug: early intervention, law enforcement and making sure there is better evidence available.

Jo Lindgren (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate why it is important we continue to invest in treatment to support those afflicted by this insidious drug?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Minister for Rural Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recent research from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre shows that in 2013-14 there were 268,000 regular users of this drug. On this side of the chamber, we recognise how important it is that we tackle this drug. This is indeed in contrast to those opposite, who in 2013 did not renew the advertising that was out there in the community telling people about the dangers of this drug, and ice use doubled in 2010 and 2013. Indeed, the shadow assistant health minister says:

The criticism is that they haven’t got the right strategy—they're … putting $20 million into an advertising campaign that is just a re-run of something that was done in 2007 …

The research showed that 51 per cent of at-risk youth would avoid using ice as a result of seeing that advertising. I think that is a strategy that is working.