Parliamentary Committees

Joint Committee on the Legalisation of Medicinal Cannabis

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:48): I move:

1. That this council—

(a) supports all six members and supporting staff of the Joint Committee on the Legalisation of Medicinal Cannabis attending the 2023 Australian Medicinal Cannabis Symposium to be held in Brisbane from 11 to 13 August 2023;

(b) acknowledges the value of the joint committee holding meetings and hearing evidence while attending the symposium; and

(c) requests the clerks of the houses to provide funding for the members and staff of the committee to travel to and attend the symposium and hold meetings.

2. That a message be sent to the House of Assembly transmitting the foregoing resolution and requesting its concurrence thereto.

This is a motion that I understand is required, as per the advice of the Speaker in the other place, the member for Kavel, the Hon. Dan Cregan, with regard to the Joint Committee on the Legalisation of Medicinal Cannabis and our intention as a committee to travel to the 2023 Australian Medicinal Cannabis Symposium, to be held in Brisbane from 11 to 13 August this year, and also that committee's intention, while we are on that trip, to take advantage of the both national and international attendees at that symposium to have hearings of the committee to take evidence with regard to the most important issue of the legalisation of medicinal cannabis and the current barriers that still are raised.

I note that the conference that we intend to attend at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in August is entitled 'Harnessing Knowledge, Building Momentum' and is prefaced with anticipation of a 'deep dive into this rapidly progressing sector, with input from experts from around the globe and around Australia'. The program will have a program specifically for pharmacists for the first time, in addition to the ongoing and longstanding programs that they have for other members of the medical profession: first nurses and then doctors.

This particular program is in partnership with the Lambert Initiative from Sydney University, which actually was involved in the very first conference of this sort in 2014, and that partnership is now formalised, bringing the relationship from a time when medicinal cannabis was illegal to now where we have a legalised framework but still with considerable barriers for the medical profession, for the industry and, of course, for patients. It is an issue that the health minister has approached the joint committee to undertake to investigate in terms of continuing barriers in South Australia that do not apply in other states. I believe that all members of the committee will benefit from what is a directly relevant conference program.

I raise this motion today, which is somewhat unusual, but I do so because the committee has had an exchange of correspondence with the House of Assembly Clerk and deputy clerk and, most recently, with the Speaker. In the final exchange of correspondence, I note that the Speaker has advised that he is advised, and I will quote him:

I am advised—

It is generally considered that two members and staff attending a conference can adequately report back to the full committee on relevant information to come out of a conference.

If the House or the Council were to resolve that it would better suit the needs of the Committee to send additional members and staff, that would allow the matter to be considered again.

I move this motion today so that, indeed, the matter may be considered again. I note that, while the Speaker has advised our committee that it would only require one house of parliament, out of an abundance of caution I have a motion here that will require both houses of this parliament to approve said travel. I look forward to a day when something on medicinal cannabis is simple. That day seems to be further away than I thought it would be. With that, I commend the motion.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I. Pnevmatikos.