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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-03-01 Daily Xml
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Illicit Substance Abuse

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (14:43): As well as treatment for people with a pre-existing drug addiction, will the task force also be looking at preventative measures for people who might be at risk of developing an addiction if they have not already done so? How does the minister envisage reaching out to those people?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:43): We had our first meeting of the task force last week to discuss exactly how we are going to go about community engagement. It is a bit of a balancing act, as it always is with consultation. We want to make sure that we are talking to experts but we also want to balance that by talking to people who have experienced the effects, whether as an addict or a family member of an addict, of drug consumption in the past as well. We want to try to take all those views into account. It will be literally impossible to meet with everyone over the course of 60 days, which is exactly why, through the government's YourSAy website, there will be an opportunity for any interested party in South Australia to make a contribution.

There is also a section within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet that has taken up the responsibility of taking submissions from experts within the area, from advocates of both drug addicts, family members and support groups, to be able to seek to make a submission, with a view to being able to make a presentation directly to the task force, including myself and minister Vlahos. Those opportunities are being afforded to people. At the same time, we want to have action based on the feedback we get through the community engagement process, but I don't want to be sitting around consulting in December this year. We want to get out a response ASAP, so we are trying to balance those factors.

I would say to any members of the community, including through you, the Hon. Ms Vincent, that if there are people within this sector, within the community, who have been affected by this issue and who have ideas then I would encourage them to put them up through the YourSAy website. If they think they have a proposition that is worthy of particular attention, they should engage through the YourSAy website seeking to make a presentation to the task force.

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