GOVT'S HEROIN PLANS STALLED

Drug-law reform could be stalled in the next term of the Assembly after
Health Minister Michael Moore and cross-bencher Trevor Kaine voted against
a referendum yesterday.

Chief Minister Gary Humphries, who expressed bitter disappointment over the
Assembly's decision to block a referendum, re-affirmed the Liberal Party's
policy to oppose an injecting room trial or heroin trial unless the matter
went to a referendum.

The policy was unlikely to change in the next Assembly, he said.

If the policy remains, it will preclude bi-partisan support, which is
necessary for an injecting room or heroin trial to succeed unless there is
a Labor-Greens majority in the Assembly.

Opposition Leader Jon Stanhope said the Liberal policy was "a dreadful shame".

"If he's suggesting that if he can't have his referendum, then the people
of the ACT can never have a heroin trial, then we in the ACT have a major
problem."

Mr Moore and Mr Kaine held the deciding votes on the referendum, which was
to be held in conjunction with the October election.

Mr Moore told Mr Humphries yesterday morning he would oppose a referendum.

Mr Humphries said he was disappointed, and thought it ironic given Mr
Moore's long-term support for drug-law reform.

"I think an opportunity to do what he wants to do has been lost . . . I
don't know where those issues are going to go."

But Mr Moore said a referendum would not further drug-law reform, and
"that's why I won't be supporting it".

He believed it would benefit conservative candidates, and there were too
many conservative MLAs in the Assembly.

A key factor in his decision had been the refusal of Independent Paul
Osborne and Dave Rugendyke to be bound by the outcome.

Mr Kaine said Mr Osborne and Mr Rugendyke should consider the morality of
their position.

But he saved his harshest criticism for the Liberal Party, accusing it of
being "morally bankrupt".

"They want a referendum because it gets them off the hook . . . of having
no policy," he told the Assembly.

"Victims of the drug scourge want action from the Government."

They did not want more procrastination or equivocation, or the Government
to "use their suffering for political gain".

Mr Humphries said yesterday's decision left the electorate "out of the loop".

"I just don't hold any truck with those people who think these sort of
issues won't get properly examined by the electorate.

"If we trust people to be smart enough to determine who's the best
government of the territory, a pretty fundamental decision, why aren't they
smart enough to decide whether a heroin trial or an injecting place is a
good idea?"

Accusing the Assembly and Labor of a lack of leadership, he said Mr
Stanhope wanted to "downgrade" the importance of drugs as an election issue.

Mr Stanhope said that, if elected as chief minister, he would immediately
approach the prime minister, whoever it was, to declare the ACT's
preparedness to be involved in a national heroin trial.

Mr Osborne said drug-law reform would be an election issue, even without a
referendum, because legislation for an injecting room trial was still on
the table, to be implemented next year.

"It will be the first thing that we are forced to face when we come back."

The Liberal Party will now have to decide what drug policy to include in
its health and crime platforms.

Ginninderra candidate Vicki Dunne, a key instigator of a referendum, said
those who opposed a referendum had listened to the views of minorities at
the expense of the rest of Canberra.

"The ACT could have been leaders in the debate on drugs. No other
legislature anywhere in Australia has considered taking this issue to the
people . . . the Legislative Assembly has shown its cowardice in the face
of the unknown."