Greens MLA Johnathan Davis will today calling for a more progressive approach to drug law reform as part of the debate on the Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Bill 2021 in this week’s Legislative Assembly sitting.
“The ACT Greens have always championed drug law reform because we know that a compassionate society supports our most vulnerable, and that drug use should be considered a health issue, not a criminal one,” Mr Davis, Greens spokesperson for drug harm reduction, said.
“The Government’s amendments as they stand will create a new arbitrary possession threshold that will retain criminal penalties. In doing so, they risk continuing to criminalise vulnerable people in our community who need the most support and the most compassion.
“These thresholds ignore the strong evidence base we have that the existing thresholds we have for this purpose.
“We need to go boldly in our approach to reform on this very important issue. Our amendments will retain current, evidence-based possession thresholds and bring about a health-based response to drug use rather than a criminal one.
“The Greens’ amendments have been developed in close consultation with researchers, clinicians, drug policy experts, people with lived experience, and their families and friends.
“My amendments support the evidence, protect the most vulnerable, and uphold the integrity of this reform.”
Mr Davis’s proposal was supported by Unharm, the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS), Family and Friends of Drug Law Reform, and CAHMA.
Another Greens MLA, Andrew Braddock, will tomorrow call on the ACT Government to improve how the ACT Public Service recruits, retains, and supports people from all cultures and backgrounds.
“A great workforce reflects the community it serves”, Mr Braddock, Greens spokesperson for multiculturalism. “Diversity should be reflected in all aspects of public life, including the ACT Public Service.
“The ACT Greens want to ensure our public service provides equal employment opportunities to all Canberrans, regardless of their cultural background.
“However, I’ve heard from the migrant and refugee communities that they don’t see themselves represented in the leadership of the public service, and many don’t feel welcome to apply for public service jobs.
“The way we currently collect data means that it is hard to understand exactly how big this problem is – but we do know that the pay gap for public servants who identify as culturally and linguistically diverse is about 7 per cent – around the same as the overall gender pay gap.
“The ACT Public Service has been very successful in increasing the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women over time. Now we want them to create an evidence-based strategy for doing the same across Canberra’s refugee and migrant communities.
“The ACT Public Service needs to examine best practice examples across the globe. This may include actively encouraging diverse candidates to apply, de-identifying applications, and anti-racism training – so we can be confident that the ACT Public Service truly represents the full diversity of our community.”
