Danna Vale (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister update the House on the government’s latest efforts to fight illegal drug use? Are the government’s policies working? Is the minister aware of any criticism of these policies? If so, what is the government’s response?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hughes for her question and I can assure her that this government remains unambiguously and unequivocally tough on drugs. Since 1997, this government has committed more than $1 billion to interdict the supply of illicit drugs into this country, to rehabilitate drug addicts and to educate the Australian people about the dangers of illicit drugs.

I am pleased to say that this campaign is working. The percentage of Australians using illicit drugs has dropped from 22 per cent in 1998 to 15 per cent in 2004. That constitutes a reduction of 1.5 million people—that is 1.5 million fewer people using illicit drugs, thanks substantially to this government’s policies. In the recent budget, the government committed a further $48 million towards our tough-on-drugs strategies, including a new cannabis prevention and control centre to study the links between marijuana use and mental illness, and also $24 million to a campaign to make young people more aware of the dangers that drugs pose to them.

So there is a very clear message from this government: there is no safe way to use illicit drugs. But, unfortunately, that is not the message from the opposition. Every recent opposition leader has supported heroin injecting rooms. The current Leader of the Opposition has said:

It is wrong for the Prime Minister to stand in the way of the NSW Government’s proposed safe injecting room ...

This is typical of the Leader of the Opposition. He surrendered to the Islamists over Iraq, he surrenders to the unions over workplace relations and he surrenders to the premiers over heroin injecting rooms.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Has the minister completed his answer?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I haven’t.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This is a disgraceful slur on the Leader of the Opposition. It is a reflection under standing order 90. If the minister wants to move a substantive motion we will take it; otherwise it is out of order.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume her seat. There are forms of the House, as she has referred to. I will listen carefully to the minister’s answer—

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume her seat. I will rule on that point of order.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asking him to respect the rules of the House and for you to uphold the standing orders.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lalor will not reflect on the chair.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I am simply quoting back to the Leader of the Opposition what he said:

It is wrong for the Prime Minister to stand in the way of the NSW Government’s proposed safe injecting room ...

This is someone who supports safe injecting rooms. This is someone who does not back the practical policies of this government to cut down on illicit drug use. I am not surprised that the member for Lalor should suddenly wax indignant on this, because she is just as soft on drugs. She gave a statement—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It is a very obvious one. I require that to be withdrawn.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the Manager of Opposition Business finds that offensive, I call on the minister to withdraw that.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I am happy to withdraw. But let me simply quote what her spokesman said to the Courier-Mail on 29 January 2004:

A spokesman for shadow health minister Julia Gillard said states would be able to make up their own minds about injecting rooms.

“If state governments make that decision ... then we’d back them,” she said.

They support injecting rooms. So I simply make this point: you can trust the Howard government to be tough on drugs. You can trust members opposite to say they are tough on drugs but not to support the practical policies to stop drugs getting into the hands of Australian kids.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Swan interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lilley has been warned. He continues to interject. The member for Lilley will remove himself under standing order 94(a).

The member for Lilley then left the chamber.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Anyone objectively watching the last two minutes of parliament would know that the Leader of the House was clearly out of order under standing orders 80 and 90. He withdrew it, but then repeated it in another way. You took no action against him. He once again has been the cause of this House going into disorder and once again it is someone on this side of the House who has paid the price, Mr Speaker.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler will not reflect on the chair. As he was well aware, the Minister for Health and Ageing did withdraw that statement.