ANACAD arms bush against ice

Over the weekend, Senator Nash announced the Australian National Council on Drugs had been renamed the Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drugs (ANACAD).

One of the re-badged council’s first tasks will be to examine issues caused by escalating use of methamphetamine and ice, and to give expert advice on policy options.

Former Nationals Riverina MP Kay Hull has been appointed ANACAD chair in a move welcomed by Senator Nash to bolster its rural focus and potential outcomes.

Senator Nash said it would be the first time the council had been empowered to give direct advice to relevant Commonwealth ministers.

But she said the policy work would also be a joint effort between the Commonwealth and other governments and community organisations.

It’s understood the council’s first meeting will be held this Friday, with its advice and feedback expected to be tabled in early 2015.

Senator Nash said she had no specific data about the level of ice use or the impact of drug-taking in specific rural workforces like agriculture or mining.

But she said: “That’s why we’re asking the council to look at this issue, so we can gather accurate information and make more informed policy decisions”.

“We are responding to community concerns and evidence on the ground that ice is causing widespread devastation and destruction, particularly affecting young people,” Senator Nash said.

“It's destroying families, children and communities across Australia - we want this to stop.

“It has also become very clear that the level of use of ice is exploding in rural and regional communities.

“A lot of my colleagues and the peak drug and alcohol bodies in different States and Territories are also saying use of the drug is increasing in regional and rural areas.

“One of the first things the council will be tasked with doing is evaluating the current situation and looking at why we’re seeing such a concerning take-up of drug use, including in regional and rural areas.

“Primarily, the council will report back to government on how we should deal with this.”

Senator Nash said Ms Hull was extremely well qualified for the chair’s position due to her extensive experience and expertise dealing with drug and alcohol issues.

She said Ms Hull - who represented Riverina from 1998 to 2010 - chaired the Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs Inquiry into substance abuse in Australian communities, which delivered the Road to Recovery report in 2003.

Senator Nash said Ms Hull was also “a well- respected community leader who understands community expectations across Australia”.

Other members of the advisory council are experts from a wide range of areas relating to drug and alcohol, including health, justice, Indigenous, mental health, research and policy, she said.

“We are asking the Council to look at this issue from a national perspective but Kay Hull will certainly help to bring a strong understanding of the impacts on rural and regional communities,” Senator Nash said.

“She also has a very strong understanding of government and will make an excellent chair.”

Senator Nash said ice was a highly addicting drug that “does not discriminate and drags people in from all walks of life, including mums and dads and families in rural and regional areas”.

She recounted a recent conversation with a woman living in a regional town who had been talking about drug use to her 14-year-old granddaughter.

“The 14-year-old granddaughter told her grandmother that not a day would not go by when she wasn’t offered drugs which is just not acceptable,” she said.

“We have to do something about it and people are crying out for action.

“That’s why we’ve elevated this to be a key priority for the council to look at how we can actually deal with this problem.”

Current Riverina Nationals MP Michael McCormack also praised the move saying ice has become “a scourge on society, particularly in regional areas”.

“With reports of users as young as 10, even in the local area, something has to be done,” he said.

“Ice is a challenge in many regional and rural communities, including in the Riverina.

“I look forward to working with the council on strategies the community can take to help stop the widespread devastation and destruction ice has on users, many of whom are young people.

“The ANACAD will play an important role in the federal government’s commitment to safer communities.”

Senator Nash’s statement also quoted data released by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in late October which showed that - among all those who used methamphetamine - there was an increase in the use of ice (or crystal methamphetamine) from 22 per cent in 2010 to 50pc in 2013.

She said: “This is of significant concern”.

“Australia needs to be able to respond effectively to the drug and alcohol issues facing the community and particularly to new risks posed by drugs like ice,” she said.

In welcoming this announcement Justice Minister and WA MP Michael Keenan said the Commonwealth government was committed to detecting illegal activities and disrupting criminal networks that threaten the safety of Australians.

“We have witnessed unprecedented co-operation between Commonwealth and State law enforcement agencies and intelligence sharing that is making a significant difference with organised criminal gangs, particularly in the war against the ice scourge,” he said.

“Ice requires a whole of government response, and the ANACAD will play an important part in the Coalition government's commitment to delivering a safer and more secure nation.”

ANACAD Members:

Chair: Ms Kay Hull

Principle Advisor, Indigenous drug and alcohol matters: A/Prof Ted Wilkes AO

Expert Members:

Dr Robert Ali

Professor Steve Allsop

Ms Jo Baxter

Dr Diana Egerton-Warburton

Dr James Fitzpatrick

Mr Anthony Fleming

Dr Jenny May

Mr Michael Phelan APM

Mr Frank Quinlan

Mr John Rogerson