Drug Driving

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:52): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Police a question in relation to drug driving in heavy vehicle use in particular.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: Recent reports on the news have revealed that 20 truck drivers tested positive to illicit drugs in just an eight-hour period during a police operation which tested 300 heavy vehicle operators across the northern Adelaide area. In addition to the 20 drug driving detections and two arrests, 27 vehicles were issued with defect notices. My questions to the minister are:

1. Given truck drivers are operating vehicles which can potentially and obviously cause more damage than what you might call normal vehicles or cars when they are not operated with due care, are truck drivers found to be under the influence of illicit drugs whilst driving their vehicles subject to harsher penalties?

2. What are the measures that the government, the Motor Accident Commission and SAPOL are implementing to discourage drug driving, especially amongst heavy vehicle operators?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:53): I thank the honourable member for his question. As has been stated in this place on more than one occasion, the government is currently in the process of reviewing drug driving laws. That is work that is well and truly in train; in fact, it is progressing well, not as expeditiously as I would initially have liked, but nevertheless the government is undertaking an effort to have a look at our drug driving laws because reviewing whether or not they provide the deterrent effect that is necessary to dissuade people from partaking in this activity is something most certainly worth looking at.

In regard to the specific operation that the Hon. Mr Hood refers to, it is alarming. Every time we see SAPOL undertaking an operation regarding drug driving, whether it be targeted towards heavy vehicles or otherwise, we are consistently seeing results that I think all South Australians would be concerned about, particularly in light of the fact that where people are using drugs, we know that it substantially inhibits their capacity to drive.

A statistic that I have referred to repeatedly on this issue—and I have to say is rather frightening—is that in excess of 20 per cent of all people who were killed on South Australian roads last year, the drivers were found to have some form of prohibited substance in their system, outside of alcohol. Typically, that is either methamphetamine or cannabis. We are all very conscious of the fact that methamphetamine use (particularly ice) has continued to increase throughout South Australian communities, and I commend a lot of the efforts that SAPOL is undertaking to try to address this.

In respect to heavy vehicle drivers, we know that many of those people are attracted to the use of some form of methamphetamine not through recreational use but to act as a stimulant for the purpose of being able to stay awake for longer periods of time. That is incredibly concerning—

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: No excuse.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: —which is why there have been a number of discussions over a long period of time about other reforms that can be done around heavy vehicle movements across the country. But, as the Hon. Mr Brokenshire rightly interjects, of course the pressure that is being placed upon drivers in the industry, particularly owner-drivers, is never an excuse for partaking in an activity associated with drug driving. It is of grave concern and the government is committed to making sure we are implementing reforms to address this incredibly alarming issue.