Dr MARJORIE O'NEILL (Coogee) (18:39:56): I speak today to express my heartbreak at the number of young people across our State who have lost their lives at music festivals. My heart breaks for the families of Alex Ross-King, aged 19; Joshua Tam, aged 22; Nathan Tran, aged 18; Callum Brosnan, aged 19; Joseph Pham, aged 23; and Diana Nguyen, aged 21. These young people, many barely adults, all died after consuming what they thought was MDMA at music events between December 2017 and January this year. Each of their deaths may well have been prevented if they had known more about the pills they were taking. They did not have all the information at hand when making these fatal choices, and the worst thing is that more information was possible. However, the response of this Government has been to stick its fingers in its ears and refuse to admit that its current strategy is not working.
The reality is that young people are going to take drugs. We cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend that it is not going to happen, because it does. Like it does so often, this Government has turned this debate into one of moral recourse. It thinks that young people can be shamed out of taking drugs. The treatment for this problem is scientific. Knowledge is power when it comes to making decisions around drug taking and those of us on this side of the House would like to see science and knowledge prevail. More than 10 per cent of Australians have used MDMA in their lives and the number is significantly higher among young people. As much as we all hate to admit it, this is the reality that the Government must come to terms with. That is why the Leader of the Opposition, Jodi McKay, and Labor have committed to a limited trial of pill testing to determine whether it succeeds in harm minimisation, as per the recommendations of the coronial inquest. I ask the Premier: Why will your Government not do the same?
When there is a chance to bring the experts together it is important that we listen and consider their recommendations. NSW Labor is guided by the experts and the evidence in drafting policies. We can help save young people's lives. A New South Wales Labor Government will convene a drug summit as a top priority. In 1999 the last drug summit in New South Wales was held by the then Labor Premier Bob Carr. Among other reforms, the summit led to the establishment of the medically supervised injecting centre [MSIC] in Kings Cross. Since the creation of the MSIC it has handled more than 6,000 drug overdoses without a single fatality and made more than 12,000 referrals to external health and social welfare services.
A NSW Labor drug summit would gather police, the legal system, clinicians, academics, family members, former users and other experts together to consider and advise on a wide variety of issues, including drug use and addiction, social services for those suffering from addiction and police practices such as sniffer dogs and strip searches. We owe it to the public to find the best solutions, rather than pretending the problems do not exist. It is also time for a well overdue and serious discussion around the use of strip searching as a method available to police in New South Wales. The recent report by the University of New South Wales Faculty of Law revealed that the number of strip searches has increased by almost 50 per cent in four years and that they are often being undertaken without the legal criteria being met. Strip searches may only be undertaken on the grounds that "a strip search is necessary for the purpose of the search, and that serious and urgent circumstances make it necessary". The report found that that criteria is often not being met.
In addition, the report found that children were often being subjected to strip searches. Information obtained by the Redfern Legal Centre revealed that, since 2016, 122 girls have been strip searched, including two 12-year-olds and eight 13-year-olds. Young women are being asked take off all their clothing, squat and cough. Some are even being asked to remove tampons during menstruation. That is not okay. This Government is once again condoning the scourge of immorality and a fear of authority to address a societal problem. It is clear that the Government's approach to drug use and drug detection does not work. It is our job as the local representatives and lawmakers of this State to listen to the experts and put together an evidence-based approach to drug use and drug detection in New South Wales.
A New South Wales Labor government would ensure that best practice and safety rather than political dogma define policy regarding protecting lives, while also ensuring people's dignity, safety and security. I call on the Government to step up to the plate and go in to bat for young people, not put lives at stake to win a moral argument that the majority of people have already decided has been lost. Listen to the experts and make the changes, and together we can hopefully save some lives.
