Every parent lives in fear of the impact of drugs on their children's lives. 'Tough on Drugs' is all about providing moral leadership on drugs for their sake.
After all, the drug problem is our problem. It is not just an academic pursuit, however vitally important that might be, but a very real social problem for the whole community to address.
The Alcohol and Drugs Council of Australia brings to our attention the terrible impact of drug use on Australia:
that there were 634 heroin related deaths in Australia last year;
that the average length of life lost per drug related death is 36.7 years;
that up to two thirds of prisoners report that they were under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs or both at the time they committed their most serious offence and over 25 per cent of prisoners have a major drug problem;
that up to 80 per cent of property crime in a state like NSW is drug related;
that illicit drugs are associated with over 40,500 hospital bed days in Australia each year;
that on any given day in Australia, specialist treatment agencies provide residential or counselling services to over 2,000 illicit drug users; and
that spending on illicit drugs amounts to over $7 billion a year.
But as we all know, the drug problem is not just about statistics but about real Australians: it's about people with broken lives and broken homes, it's about families who want so much to care and face terrible odds, it's about professionals in the field, law enforcement agencies, educators, health workers.
Now it's about Governments too.
If 1996 is to be remembered as the time when all Australian Governments united to be tough on guns let this year be the time when we all found the same determination to get tough on drugs.
I want to work in partnership with all Australian Governments, and with parents, teachers, volunteer and community organisations and health professionals to develop a plan to take us into the next century to really address the drug problem.
THE PLAN
To demonstrate my Government's commitment to this end I announce today the first instalment in what I plan will be an integrated, comprehensive and effective national effort to combat the menace of illicit drugs.
This is the initial response to the findings of the Commonwealth Task Force which I established on 25 August this year. The purpose of the Task Force was to collate and assess the range of Commonwealth activities relating to illicit drugs.
Our first instalment is to commit an additional $87.5 million over three years towards a National Illicit Drug Strategy designed to deliver a balanced and integrated approach to reducing the supply and demand of illicit drugs and minimising the harm they cause.
I intend that further measures will be developed in consultation with the States, Territories and the volunteer and community sector.
What this announcement achieves is a balance between additional money spent attacking the importers and distributers of drugs and additional money focusing on school education, treatment for drug users and research.
STEMMING THE TRADE
The first stage in the National Illicit Drug Strategy will be an immediate and concerted national effort to make Australia a much more difficult target for drug traffickers.
All heroin and cocaine comes from outside Australia. While we have had some notable successes in intercepting illicit drugs, these measures intensify our efforts to stop drugs coming into the country in the first place and intercepting them if they do enter Australia.
The Government will therefore provide additional funding of $43.8 million for measures to intercept more illicit drugs at our borders and within Australia.
This will include extra resources:
for 54 more operational investigative staff for the Australian Federal Police, to be organised into three "strike teams" which will target drug syndicates wherever they operate in Australia;
to increase the capacity of the Australian Customs Service's cargo profiling system and examination facilities in Sydney;
to improve Commonwealth law enforcement agencies' communication and IT capabilities.
to fund a National Heroin Signature Programme to identify trafficking patterns for heroin, improve research into drug-crime links and increase Australian Federal Police funding for informant handling and witness protection.
to enhance the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre's capacity to monitor suspicious financial transactions.
for the Australian Customs Service to employ additional intelligence analysts.
I also announce a package of measures relating to the Torres Strait.
In July I visited the Torres Strait and undertook to review surveillance arrangements. I am pleased to announce that following consultation with the Torres Strait Islander community and its Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, the Government will establish a permanent AFP presence on Thursday Island, purchase three new high speed customs vessels and increase surveillance in the Torres Strait.
The Government is also looking at measures to improve the exchange of information between Australia and other countries on illicit drugs.
EDUCATION
While these supply reduction measures will undoubtedly make inroads in reducing the availability of illicit drugs, the Government understands that no country in the world has been able to completely stop the flow of illicit drugs.
That is why we regard it as essential to strengthen the national effort to reduce the use of illicit drugs and minimise the harm they cause.
Accordingly, the Government's supply reduction measures will be balanced by an additional $43.7 million for measures focussing on school education, community information and support, expanding community agency treatment programmes, enhancing our research effort and developing innovative treatments.
These measures are of such importance that we will ensure that they are developed in consultation with the States, Territories and volunteer and community organisations working in the field.
My Government is determined to prevent a new generation of users and addicts emerging. We will therefore consult with the States, Territories and community agencies about the development of an integrated set of targeted education and information measures.
These will focus on young people, their parents, local communities, teachers and health professionals, and will include $7.4 million for the development and implementation of a Schools Drug Strategy with a goal of zero tolerance of drugs in schools.
We will provide $4.8 million for a community grant programme for local drug prevention and education projects. Funding will depend on the capacity of projects to help equip those in the front line, such as parents, to play their part against illicit drugs.
We will also provide money for a national one stop shop to disseminate information to the general community including parents, schools, universities, health professionals and health care facilities. The centre will be outsourced to a community organisation which already provides drug-related education or services.
The Government will also consult with the States, Territories and volunteer and community agencies on the form which a more general community-wide education and information campaign might take.
TREATMENT AND SUPPORT
Regrettably, education and prevention do not necessarily help those who have already developed a drug problem. The Commonwealth will therefore discuss with the States, Territories and volunteer and community organisations a better approach for the diversion of drug users from prison to treatment programmes, with a view to breaking the cycle of drug dependency and criminal behaviour.
The Government believes that volunteer and community organisations have a particularly valuable role to play in treatment. You are at the front-line of this battle and you are the the ones who are best able to preserve the dignity and worth of each individual to whom help is offered.
Recognising your vital role the Government will provide additional direct funding of $21.5 million towards establishing and operating new community treatment facilities, to be identified in consultation with the States, Territories and groups such as yourselves. There will be a particular emphasis on filling geographic and target group gaps in the coverage of existing treatment services and priority will be given to areas of highest need
The Commonwealth will also discuss with the States and Territories the scope to expand existing cost-shared funding arrangements for community treatment services with a view to upgrading them.
RESEARCH
Australia is recognised as a world leader in reducing the harm caused to individuals and society due to drug use. It is essential that we maintain this high standard if we are to relieve the human, economic and social costs of illicit drug use.
The Commonwealth Government will therefore provide additional funding of $5.3 million to support new research and innovative harm minimisation measures.
An additional $4 million will be provided to the National Health and Medical Research Council to undertake an expanded programme of interdisciplinary research to achieve innovation in the prevention and treatment of illicit drug use, with a stronger focus on abstinence-based treatment, more effective treatments, and eventual re-integration of users into the community.
We will also provide additional funding for the non-heroin trials agreed by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy in July 1997, to go towards their evaluation and the dissemination of best practice.
Illicit drug use is a national problem that affects us all - parents, volunteer and community agencies, health professionals, educators, law enforcement officers and governments Australia wide.
I readily acknowledge that in many areas the Commonwealth cannot move alone and nor would it be desirable for it to do so. Moral leadership on this issue demands that all Australian Governments as well as volunteer and community organisations, families and health professionals act in a unified and effective way to help end the misery inflicted by illict drugs on Australian lives.
That is why I have written today to Australian Heads of Government proposing the further development of the National Illicit Drug Strategy to bring together
the three streams of reducing supply, reducing demand and harm minimisation and proposing that this be an agenda item for the next meeting of the Council of Australian Governments to be held this Friday, November 7.
I am always realistic. Results will take time. But I am determined to discourage a whole new generation of drug users by the best means available. I strongly believe that with a concerted national and community effort we can make a significant difference to the benefit of all Australians.
[Ends]
2 November 1997