Mrs HICKEY - 1995-10-19
I refer the Chief Minister to a letter I received from the Liberal Chief Minister of the ACT, Hon Kate Carnell. In part, the letter says:
The decision of the NT government not to establish a methadone program is a matter for that administration
to comment upon, rather than the ACT government. However, I am concerned that, if media reports are
correct, dependent heroin users may be encouraged to leave the Northern Territory through assistance with
transport costs. The ACT government would be disappointed if this practice was to occur.
Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table that letter.
Leave granted.
Mrs HICKEY: Having received criticism now from both sides of the political fence - the Queensland Minister for Health and the ACT Chief Minister - will our Chief Minister intervene to change his government's illogical policy of providing one-way bus tickets out of the Territory for heroin addicts, before our national reputation suffers even more damage?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is a shame that members opposite do not concede that the Northern Territory government has in place a number of very good programs to help people who are heroin dependent. All we ever hear about, as members opposite aim straight for the headlines, is the bus ticket. Let me tell the member for Barkly that we have a number of very good programs in place. There will not be a methadone program in the Territory while there is a CLP government in the Territory.
Mrs Hickey: Right ...
Mr STONE: You lot went to the people on this issue at the last general election and we went to the people opposed to the introduction of a methadone program. The people made their choice on a raft of issues, including this. Let there be no mistake. I want heroin addicts around Australia to know that the Territory is one of the most inhospitable places for them to be. I do not encourage heroin addicts to come to the Territory. I know that many mums and dads in our community feel exactly the same way. I am told that in supermarkets and on the street, and I hear it in my electorate office. Yet again, members opposite are entirely out of step. Territorians do not want a methadone program. I want heroin addicts to know that they are not welcome in the Territory. I want that message to be loud and clear.
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I want to disabuse members opposite about this absolute nonsense that there is some correlation between break-and-enters and heroin abuse. They have seen already, from the results of Operation SURF, that a mere 6 of 179 property offences were drug related. They should not go around the community peddling this nonsense about methadone, which is a synthetic opioid anyway, just another drug. They should not go around the community telling people the lie that, if the Territory had a methadone program, there would be less break-and-enters. Heroin addicts are not welcome in the Territory. The mums and dads of the Territory do not want them here, and I want addicts all around Australia to know that this is not the place for them. We do not want them here.
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The decision of the NT government not to establish a methadone program is a matter for that administration
to comment upon, rather than the ACT government. However, I am concerned that, if media reports are
correct, dependent heroin users may be encouraged to leave the Northern Territory through assistance with
transport costs. The ACT government would be disappointed if this practice was to occur.
Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table that letter.
Leave granted.
Mrs HICKEY: Having received criticism now from both sides of the political fence - the Queensland Minister for Health and the ACT Chief Minister - will our Chief Minister intervene to change his government's illogical policy of providing one-way bus tickets out of the Territory for heroin addicts, before our national reputation suffers even more damage?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is a shame that members opposite do not concede that the Northern Territory government has in place a number of very good programs to help people who are heroin dependent. All we ever hear about, as members opposite aim straight for the headlines, is the bus ticket. Let me tell the member for Barkly that we have a number of very good programs in place. There will not be a methadone program in the Territory while there is a CLP government in the Territory.
Mrs Hickey: Right ...
Mr STONE: You lot went to the people on this issue at the last general election and we went to the people opposed to the introduction of a methadone program. The people made their choice on a raft of issues, including this. Let there be no mistake. I want heroin addicts around Australia to know that the Territory is one of the most inhospitable places for them to be. I do not encourage heroin addicts to come to the Territory. I know that many mums and dads in our community feel exactly the same way. I am told that in supermarkets and on the street, and I hear it in my electorate office. Yet again, members opposite are entirely out of step. Territorians do not want a methadone program. I want heroin addicts to know that they are not welcome in the Territory. I want that message to be loud and clear.
Page 929
I want to disabuse members opposite about this absolute nonsense that there is some correlation between break-and-enters and heroin abuse. They have seen already, from the results of Operation SURF, that a mere 6 of 179 property offences were drug related. They should not go around the community peddling this nonsense about methadone, which is a synthetic opioid anyway, just another drug. They should not go around the community telling people the lie that, if the Territory had a methadone program, there would be less break-and-enters. Heroin addicts are not welcome in the Territory. The mums and dads of the Territory do not want them here, and I want addicts all around Australia to know that this is not the place for them. We do not want them here.
Page 930
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016