COMRIE'S FEELINGS MIXED ON SUMMIT

Former police chief commissioner Neil Comrie said yesterday it was
obvious that the Victorian Government had gone to the joint sitting of
parliament on drugs with a predetermined position.

Mr Comrie, a driving force behind the historic sitting on Wednesday,
conceded to mixed feelings about the summit's success.

He was philosophical about the differences that had emerged between the
political parties on how to proceed. "Politics will always play a role
in these things at the end of the day and I suspect that will always be
the case," he said.

His comments came as the State Opposition called on the government to
step up its response to the drug problem by establishing an independent
statutory authority to direct education and early intervention efforts -
a proposal first made by Mr Comrie.

Liberal leader Denis Napthine challenged the Bracks Government to go
beyond its top-level drugs advisory council by transforming it into a
statutory authority.

But the move could undermine the fragile consensus established after the
joint sitting, with the government categorically ruling out such a
proposal.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister John Thwaites said the government
would be abrogating its responsibilities if it handed control of drug
strategies to an independent authority.

The spokeswoman said such a move would also undermine the
whole-of-government approach to the drug issue, which saw it being
tackled on several fronts simultaneously, including law enforcement,
education, community services and health.

Dr Napthine said an independent statutory authority reporting directly
to parliament would foster a long-term bipartisan approach to the drug
issue, particularly in the areas of education, early intervention and
diversion.

"The summit was a very significant (but) small step in the right
direction," he said. "What we need to do is to turn those small steps
into giant strides by moving from an advisory council to an independent
statutory authority."

Opposition education spokesman Phil Honeywood said that, despite the
rhetoric, all the joint sitting had produced was "yet another advisory
committee".

Mr Thwaites' spokeswoman said the advisory council, to be appointed by
the government within a month, would be "free of politics".