Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

(a) notes:

( i ) the near fatal overdose by five young people of the deadly and illegal drug fantasy, gamma hydroxybutyrate , at a South Stradbroke Island dance party on 7 June 2015, and

(ii) the near fatal overdose by four young people of the deadly and illegal drug ecstasy on a Good Friday cruise in Sydney Harbour on 4 April 2015; and

(c) calls on the Australian Greens to condemn their New South Wales counterparts for their attempts to ban police sniffer dogs – an important police tool for preventing such overdoses at music festivals.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand Senator O'Sullivan's desire to wedge the Greens on an issue like this, but Senator O'Sullivan needs a little education when it comes to the issue of sniffer dogs. Sniffer dogs do not actually work in reducing drug use. In fact, sniffer dogs get it wrong two-thirds of the time—a bit like Senator O'Sullivan himself. They have an appalling track record when it comes to recording convictions on this stuff. But here is the kicker: some serious overdoses and fatalities have been directly attributed to the sniffer dogs themselves. What happens is this. When a young person is at a festival, sees a sniffer dog and does not want to get caught, it is an incentive to ingest sometimes toxic levels of substances. We have seen people die because of sniffer dogs.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have indeed voted on that motion.