Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

The bill builds on Customs officers' existing powers to stop and seize suspicious goods by allowing officers to seize new psychoactive substances. The bill does not use a broad definition of psychoactive effects to capture these substances but includes 12 broad categories of exemptions. The only substances caught by this offence are those that are going to be used or supplied as alternatives to illicit drugs. It is true that offenders will not be required to know with absolute certainty that a substance has a psychoactive effect. They will only need to reasonably suspect that the goods contain a new psychoactive substance. The goods will only be released if the importer shows that they have a legitimate use or are not psychoactive. This approach is the best way of staying ahead of an ever-changing drug market. The bill will clarify that new psychoactive substances are illegal and potentially very dangerous. It will give Customs officers appropriate powers to stop these substances at the border and will allow the government time to develop and implement more-specific controls. The government believes these changes are critical to protect public safety.