Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I applaud the Australian and New Zealand police commissioners who this morning came together here at Parliament House to stand against violence towards women and children. I was particularly pleased to see my Western Australian commissioner, Karl O'Callaghan, who joined with this group. This is a very powerful union which sends a strong message that our police leaders take claims of domestic violence seriously and puts perpetrators of domestic violence on notice that Australia does not tolerate domestic violence towards women and children, that perpetrators will be 'punished with the full severity of the law'—to quote the Prime Minister from this morning's event—and that domestic violence victims will be protected.

In Geraldton, amphetamines and other synthetic drugs are prevalent amongst the general population as well as the Aboriginal population. We all see this in our towns, cities, rural communities and remote communities and also within our workplaces, families, friendship groups and neighbourhoods. I recently hosted a community crime forum in Geraldton where my co-host for the day, the Minister for Justice, the Hon. Michael Keenan, was urgently called back to Canberra as soon as he disembarked his flight in Geraldton. The forum, held on 18 September, went some way towards further fleshing out the drug related crime incidence and the causes and strategies in place to counter these in Geraldton. During the forum, we sought the community's views on what practical and tangible actions might be taken to help address the crime and antisocial behaviour which frequently stems from drug and/or alcohol abuse. I acknowledge the City of Greater Geraldton, the Geraldton police and regional Western Australia commander Murray Smalpage for their support of and participation in the forum and the excellent work they are doing in Geraldton and its surrounds to help combat the supply of drugs into the region and to help combat antisocial behaviour, crime, violence and personal harm arising from drug and alcohol abuse.

It is worth recording some key sentiments that emerged from the crime forum discussions amongst the 50-odd participants. One was that illicit drug use feeds crime, including burglary, house break-ins and muggings, and that the regrettable loss of funding for programs such as the youth bus and Midnight Basketball will have adverse impacts. People are terribly concerned about this because they fear an increase in drug taking, antisocial behaviour and crime.

Another observation was that leadership within the Geraldton community, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, is strong and that joint endeavours to address drugs, crime and associated impacts of harm and violence are characterised by collaboration and planning amongst stakeholders, both government and not-for-profit groups. There is a strong sense that there is capacity in Geraldton to address the problem; however, a long-term view, with bipartisan support and ongoing funding for programs, is an essential element.

Food, clothing, shelter, education and personal safety were considered causal factors for alcohol and drug abuse and resultant antisocial behaviour, harm and violence. Another observation was that drug and alcohol misuse and abuse are symptoms of greater problems and not the cause of people's problems. There was discussion of parental responsibility. Somehow, we must get parents to exercise responsibility. Money for programs can only achieve so much and is not the complete answer. It is about changing children's lives with their parents; it is not just about taking kids of the streets—although that is a jolly good start.

The discussion at the Geraldton community crime forum inevitably led to discussions that alcohol and illicit drugs are root causes of crime and antisocial behaviour, including domestic violence, underpinned by a range of social issues with which we here are all too familiar. A number of my constituents in Geraldton are passionate crusaders for drug reform. In particular, they campaign for a reduction in drug usage rather than for a reduction in harm caused by illicit drugs, which, they allege, simply fuels the gateway of the ongoing criminality of illicit drug dealing, manufacture and usage. The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Psychoactive Substances and Other Measures) Bill 2014 will ensure that new psychoactive substances cannot be imported while the government assesses the harm they cause and considers the appropriate controls to place on them—thereby limiting supply and usage.

I am using the opportunity today to commend the work and the initiative being undertaken by the Midwest Gascoyne Human Services Regional Managers Group. This group comprises around 20 members, those members being the heads of government agencies—that is regional managers and CEOs—across the Mid West and Gascoyne regions of Western Australia, and is currently chaired by District Superintendent Andy Greatwood of the WA Police. This group has been in operation since 2006, which is more than eight years. They strive to coordinate resolutions and prioritise locational needs; act as a conduit between community and government departments, systems and processes; and facilitate and clarify funding possibilities to address local issues. The group recently developed a new strategic plan which aims to align the group with the cabinet standing committee on Aboriginal affairs and various state subcommittees. They meet regularly in Geraldton and Carnarvon and have a system of community based subcommittees which collaborate on program delivery, with a good deal of their time dedicated to dealing with the harms of alcohol and drug misuse.

Synthetic psychoactive substances pose a serious risk to the community, just as traditional illicit drugs do. Associated harm and tragic deaths arising from the use of these substances have been well reported. The legislation will ban all psychoactive substances unless they have a legitimate use and will close the loophole that allows people to avoid prosecution by ever so slightly changing the chemical structure of a drug. I commend this bill which amends a series of acts and contains a range of measures to improve Commonwealth criminal justice arrangements, to ban the importation of substances that have a psychoactive effect and that are not otherwise regulated, and to ensure that Australian Customs and Border Protection officers have appropriate powers to stop these substances at the border. I commend this bill to the House.

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