Ms MARTIN - 2000-08-09
Drug-related crime in the Territory is on the increase. Bardens Pharmacy in Smith Street has been held up twice in two weeks. On both occasions, a young female shop assistant has been threatened with a knife while the assailant demanded drugs. The shop assistant has understandably had her confidence shaken and other shop assistants increasingly go to work with the same fear. What is the Chief Minister doing to combat this increase in drug-related crime? What is he doing to protect and assist victims of drug crime like this young woman who has now been threatened twice?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, what we will not be doing is having a mop squad, which is what the opposition suggest, a mop squad that goes out and cleans up houses. I would like to know who this mop squad is going to be in terms of your law and order policy. We will not impose that sort of triviality on Territorians.
In our law and order policy in the Northern Territory, we stand on our record of being tough on crime. We do not sit back and come out with fine words that say we wish crime was on the decrease, we wish the judges would sentence more toughly. We get out and we make sure that those sorts of things happen.
We do not and will never entertain a methadone program in the Northern Territory, if that is what the Leader of the Opposition would like us to introduce. I ask you to put that in your policy platform. The previous Deputy Leader of the Opposition had as his major plank the introduction of a methadone program in the Northern Territory to deal with drug-related problems.
There is a strong argument by some, coming particularly from Labor states, to set up free heroin-injecting rooms like the Bracks Labor government. Now tell me, if the Labor Party in the Northern Territory got into power, what would your position be on free heroin-injecting rooms? Would that be part of your platform? If not, tell me why you oppose the Brack’s policy.
If the opposition got into power in the Northern Territory what would be their policy position on methadone. Methadone is embraced wholeheartedly by other states, Labor states predominantly. I would like to know what the Labor policy on methadone would be if you ever got into power. We will not entertain any of those arguments. Territorians need to be extremely wary if this mob ever get into power.
Ms Martin: Sit down! You have no answer. You are doing nothing.
Mr BURKE: I have said time and time again, when you rattle the can of the Leader of the Opposition all she can say is: ‘Sit down, Denis’. You note this. If you want to be the pretender to the throne, tell Territorians what your policy is on methadone. Tell Territorians what your policy is on free heroin-injecting rooms.
Ms Martin: What is your policy?
Mr BURKE: I will tell you clearly what the CLP policy is. No! Over my dead body, no. In terms of how we deal with drug-related crime in the Northern Territory, we first of all …
Ms Martin: Victims go unassisted. You do nothing.
Mr BURKE: The Leader of the Opposition is pretty good with her cute throwaway remarks. I was Minister for Health for well over two years. It is quite a comprehensive portfolio, dealing with illicit drugs and strategies to deal with drug addicts. I can only say that no health minister with any experience would sign up to a whole new suggestion of how to change the Medicare system in Australia after a five-minute conversation with a few of Labor mates in Tasmania.
In dealing with drug-related crime in the Northern Territory, we first of all have to get that into perspective. The Leader of the Opposition, as always, tries to create the emotive situation that drug-related crime is out of control. There is drug-related crime in the Northern Territory, there is no doubt about that, but compared to other jurisdictions it is minuscule. The major drugs that we have to deal with are actually prescribed legal opiates. How they then find their way into the trade is something that we really have to deal with. The report of the Coroner that was brought down some days ago is something that is being looked at by my office and I am in consultation with the Minister for Health on that issue.
We have rehabilitation programs in place in the Northern Territory. They are abstinence-based programs.
Ms Martin: So that helps the young shop assistant, does it?
Mr BURKE: The Leader of the Opposition pours scorn on the fact that we have abstinence programs in place in the Northern Territory. She says sarcastically: ‘So that helps the young shop assistant’. I want to follow that a little farther. What would you do to deal with drug-related crime?
Ms Martin: You are in government.
Mr BURKE: I am telling you what we do. I want to know what you would do. I will tell you what the Labor Party would do. They would introduce free heroin-injecting rooms in the Northern Territory. They would introduce a methadone program in the Northern Territory. That is what they would do.
We are looking at more innovative drugs. I know that the Minister for Health is looking at the use of maltrexone for abstinence programs dealing with rehabilitation of drug addicts. Any abstinence-based program is supported by the Northern Territory government. There is significant flexibility given to doctors in terms of how they get a person involved in an abstinence program. That in itself provides some support through methadone for a short period of time, as judged by the Chief Health Officer.
Apart from that, the general law and order situation that we have in the Northern Territory, the many programs we have …
Mr Henderson: So we do have a methadone program? You have just admitted it.
Mr BURKE: The boy over there has suddenly woken up to the fact. He might want to read about it. He will see that the policy …
Mr Henderson: I know what it is all about.
Mr BURKE: Righto, you therefore understand very clearly it is an abstinence-based program which allows a doctor to prescribe methadone for a period of up to eight weeks …
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: We are dealing with children in this Assembly, sadly. They ask a question as to how and what programs we have to deal with drug addicts in the Northern Territory. I explain clearly the situation with regard to a methadone program in the Northern Territory. It is an abstinence-based program, very clearly an abstinence-based program. I explained the program when I was Minister for Health, on many occasions.
In no circumstances will the Northern Territory government ever subscribe to Labor’s policy. There is a great deal of difference between the two policies. One policy allows the use of methadone for ‘harm minimisation’ - the consistent use of methadone, putting a drug addict forever more on a drug that in this government’s opinion is far more dangerous and far more addictive than heroin. That is called the harm minimisation methadone program and that is the program that will never be introduced ever into the Northern Territory - certainly not while I am Chief Minister. But we should worry if the Labor Party ever came into power.
What we do is allow doctors to prescribe methadone for a short period of time for drug addicts who are genuinely seeking an abstinence-based program and on certain other occasions - for example, expectant mothers who are drug addicts during the period leading up to their confinement.
As I said, the other programs we have are quite comprehensive, run by Territory Health Services, police and other organisations. School-based constables involve themselves in educative programs with regard to drugs.
Like all jurisdictions in Australia, we have to deal with drug-related crime. But in comparison to other jurisdictions - I think it costs $500 per household to deal with drug-related crime in Victoria. This is where they have such great insight, with free heroin-injecting rooms and methadone-based programs. In comparison to jurisdictions like Victoria and New South Wales, where child prostitution through drugs is rampant - and those states have the gall to criticise the programs that are in place in the Northern Territory! - our problem is quite low.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, what we will not be doing is having a mop squad, which is what the opposition suggest, a mop squad that goes out and cleans up houses. I would like to know who this mop squad is going to be in terms of your law and order policy. We will not impose that sort of triviality on Territorians.
In our law and order policy in the Northern Territory, we stand on our record of being tough on crime. We do not sit back and come out with fine words that say we wish crime was on the decrease, we wish the judges would sentence more toughly. We get out and we make sure that those sorts of things happen.
We do not and will never entertain a methadone program in the Northern Territory, if that is what the Leader of the Opposition would like us to introduce. I ask you to put that in your policy platform. The previous Deputy Leader of the Opposition had as his major plank the introduction of a methadone program in the Northern Territory to deal with drug-related problems.
There is a strong argument by some, coming particularly from Labor states, to set up free heroin-injecting rooms like the Bracks Labor government. Now tell me, if the Labor Party in the Northern Territory got into power, what would your position be on free heroin-injecting rooms? Would that be part of your platform? If not, tell me why you oppose the Brack’s policy.
If the opposition got into power in the Northern Territory what would be their policy position on methadone. Methadone is embraced wholeheartedly by other states, Labor states predominantly. I would like to know what the Labor policy on methadone would be if you ever got into power. We will not entertain any of those arguments. Territorians need to be extremely wary if this mob ever get into power.
Ms Martin: Sit down! You have no answer. You are doing nothing.
Mr BURKE: I have said time and time again, when you rattle the can of the Leader of the Opposition all she can say is: ‘Sit down, Denis’. You note this. If you want to be the pretender to the throne, tell Territorians what your policy is on methadone. Tell Territorians what your policy is on free heroin-injecting rooms.
Ms Martin: What is your policy?
Mr BURKE: I will tell you clearly what the CLP policy is. No! Over my dead body, no. In terms of how we deal with drug-related crime in the Northern Territory, we first of all …
Ms Martin: Victims go unassisted. You do nothing.
Mr BURKE: The Leader of the Opposition is pretty good with her cute throwaway remarks. I was Minister for Health for well over two years. It is quite a comprehensive portfolio, dealing with illicit drugs and strategies to deal with drug addicts. I can only say that no health minister with any experience would sign up to a whole new suggestion of how to change the Medicare system in Australia after a five-minute conversation with a few of Labor mates in Tasmania.
In dealing with drug-related crime in the Northern Territory, we first of all have to get that into perspective. The Leader of the Opposition, as always, tries to create the emotive situation that drug-related crime is out of control. There is drug-related crime in the Northern Territory, there is no doubt about that, but compared to other jurisdictions it is minuscule. The major drugs that we have to deal with are actually prescribed legal opiates. How they then find their way into the trade is something that we really have to deal with. The report of the Coroner that was brought down some days ago is something that is being looked at by my office and I am in consultation with the Minister for Health on that issue.
We have rehabilitation programs in place in the Northern Territory. They are abstinence-based programs.
Ms Martin: So that helps the young shop assistant, does it?
Mr BURKE: The Leader of the Opposition pours scorn on the fact that we have abstinence programs in place in the Northern Territory. She says sarcastically: ‘So that helps the young shop assistant’. I want to follow that a little farther. What would you do to deal with drug-related crime?
Ms Martin: You are in government.
Mr BURKE: I am telling you what we do. I want to know what you would do. I will tell you what the Labor Party would do. They would introduce free heroin-injecting rooms in the Northern Territory. They would introduce a methadone program in the Northern Territory. That is what they would do.
We are looking at more innovative drugs. I know that the Minister for Health is looking at the use of maltrexone for abstinence programs dealing with rehabilitation of drug addicts. Any abstinence-based program is supported by the Northern Territory government. There is significant flexibility given to doctors in terms of how they get a person involved in an abstinence program. That in itself provides some support through methadone for a short period of time, as judged by the Chief Health Officer.
Apart from that, the general law and order situation that we have in the Northern Territory, the many programs we have …
Mr Henderson: So we do have a methadone program? You have just admitted it.
Mr BURKE: The boy over there has suddenly woken up to the fact. He might want to read about it. He will see that the policy …
Mr Henderson: I know what it is all about.
Mr BURKE: Righto, you therefore understand very clearly it is an abstinence-based program which allows a doctor to prescribe methadone for a period of up to eight weeks …
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: We are dealing with children in this Assembly, sadly. They ask a question as to how and what programs we have to deal with drug addicts in the Northern Territory. I explain clearly the situation with regard to a methadone program in the Northern Territory. It is an abstinence-based program, very clearly an abstinence-based program. I explained the program when I was Minister for Health, on many occasions.
In no circumstances will the Northern Territory government ever subscribe to Labor’s policy. There is a great deal of difference between the two policies. One policy allows the use of methadone for ‘harm minimisation’ - the consistent use of methadone, putting a drug addict forever more on a drug that in this government’s opinion is far more dangerous and far more addictive than heroin. That is called the harm minimisation methadone program and that is the program that will never be introduced ever into the Northern Territory - certainly not while I am Chief Minister. But we should worry if the Labor Party ever came into power.
What we do is allow doctors to prescribe methadone for a short period of time for drug addicts who are genuinely seeking an abstinence-based program and on certain other occasions - for example, expectant mothers who are drug addicts during the period leading up to their confinement.
As I said, the other programs we have are quite comprehensive, run by Territory Health Services, police and other organisations. School-based constables involve themselves in educative programs with regard to drugs.
Like all jurisdictions in Australia, we have to deal with drug-related crime. But in comparison to other jurisdictions - I think it costs $500 per household to deal with drug-related crime in Victoria. This is where they have such great insight, with free heroin-injecting rooms and methadone-based programs. In comparison to jurisdictions like Victoria and New South Wales, where child prostitution through drugs is rampant - and those states have the gall to criticise the programs that are in place in the Northern Territory! - our problem is quite low.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016