In Parliament

Bill Debate - Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Pill Testing) Bill 2024

BILL DEBATE

DRUGS, POISONS AND CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES AMENDMENT (PILL TESTING) BILL 2024.

Tuesday, 15 October 2024.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (16:02):

I rise to speak on the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Pill Testing) Bill 2024.

I am glad to follow the Premier and her contribution and do intend to make a few brief comments. The Premier is not known to stand for many things, but one thing this Premier will be known for is giving a green light to illicit drugs. That is what this Premier will be known for.

This Parliament is a make-up of community leaders, and our role is to set standards, rules and laws for the community. The Premier just spoke about this Bill because, in her words, she is seeking to make people safe. This Bill allows any person of any age – any child – access to a Government service that greenlights their drug use. That is what this Bill does. This Bill allows a child to walk into a Government facility – there is no age limit on this service – and have their drug green-lit. Shame on the Government. This Bill is about a breach in a basic fundamental principle, and this Parliament and we in this place should say no to illicit drugs. This Premier, who is known for little, is saying yes to illicit drugs.

Victorians can see it. They absolutely can see it. There is a reason why there has been a total collapse in the support of the current Labor Government; there is a reason. It has not just happened by chance. A third of the Government’s vote has collapsed, a third of the Government’s vote, and that is because this Government does not stand for principle. Shame on this Government for allowing a Bill into this place that allows children access to Government services that green-light drug use. That is what this Bill does. There are absolutely no age limits on use of these Government services. Let me tell you, the Coalition put a raft of questions to the Government, serious important questions like, for example, details around what drugs can be measured. That is not an unreasonable question. What sensitivity will there be in the testing? The Government was not able to answer it. Not only did they not answer it, but they have not been able to answer it. Not a single speaker in this Chamber on the Government’s side has stood up and provided detail around those issues, not a single speaker, and there will not be. There will not be a speaker who stands up and says, ‘What can be tested? How sensitive is the testing?’ because the Government do not know, and they refuse to answer.

The Premier spoke about keeping the community safe. The Government will not provide any estimate of the impact of this policy, but common sense would tell you this will not even touch the surface in terms of drug use; this will not touch the surface. Not only is the policy wrong but it is poorly implemented – only Labor could do that. It should be noted that we know that soon after the Premier took the role – following the former Premier, who stood strongly against pill testing – we saw multiple briefings where the new Premier was anonymously quoted as supporting pill testing and, by the way, open to cannabis reform – same briefings. Premier Allan is open to pill testing and open to cannabis reform, so what is next? What is next? This Bill is shameful, and what it is is craven populism. That is what this Bill is about. The Premier who stands for nothing has picked to stand for something because she thinks wins her a vote. That is what this Bill is about.

The basic questions around the operation of this program cannot and will not be answered by any speaker from the Government side in this place: the sensitivity of the testing, the types of drugs, any age limit access to these facilities. Can a 12-year-old walk in and have access to it? Can a 13-year-old? No Government Member will stand up and say, because the Bill allows for it. The Bill allows children access to these Government services. And then when you use this service, you waive your civil rights. Government Members have not spoken about that one either. You immediately waive your civil rights. You waive your legal rights. Why? Because we know that testing will not properly and carefully assess for every dangerous substance, so it will not keep people safe. We know it will not keep people safe. We also know that workers who work in this program cannot talk about limitations of the testing. It is specifically ruled out of the Bill.

The workers who provide these services have been given specific, set guidance on what they can talk about, but limitations are not one of them, so you cannot say to someone, ‘We can’t test for everything, but we are going to take away your civil rights’. This is the detail of the Bill.

This Bill on principle is wrong. It is wrong. It is a green light to illicit drugs, and we know that the Premier is open to cannabis reform. That will be the next one. When the Premier chose to stand for this issue – the Premier who does not stand for things – the Premier made the wrong choice. As a community leader she made a wrong choice in saying, ‘I approve as Premier children having access to drugs.’ We must always in this place stand up for what is right, and saying to children, ‘Use drugs when we test them’ is wrong. It is absolutely wrong. It is wrong in principle. Victorians will see and have seen through this Premier. They know and are seeing through this Premier, which is why there has been a wholesale collapse in support for the Premier – a wholesale collapse. There is no question about that. The 49 Premier is the Premier who has chosen to say, ‘I choose as Premier to green-light illicit drugs.’ Now, it is through pill testing, but we know what is next,
because the Premier ensured that it was reported. Pill testing first, cannabis reform next. It is shameful, and Labor should stand condemned for this outrageous Bill being put to the Parliament.