PM DENIES DRUG ADVISORY BODY WILL BECOME A MOUTHPIECE FOR HIS VIEWS

The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, has confirmed that several outspoken
advocates of drug law reform have been dumped from his peak advisory
body on illicit drugs, sparking accusations that it will become a
mouthpiece of the Government.

Mr Howard confirmed yesterday that five members of the Australian
National Council on Drugs (ANCD), including the founder of Family
Drug Support, Mr Tony Trimingham, and the head of the Ted Noffs
Foundation, Mr Wesley Noffs, will not be reappointed.

The Heraldreported on Monday that many of the new appointments
support a tough-on-drugs line, focusing on abstinence-based
treatments. Mr Howard denied that angrily: "Any chance that members
of the ANCD are chosen because they support one particular approach
to drug policy runs contrary to the central ethos of the council."

However, yesterday, drug and alcohol specialists, field workers and
the Federal Opposition accused Mr Howard of removing direct
representatives of youth, schools and drug users, and of stymying
debate.

"The drug debate needs to involve a variety of voices, and a variety
of solutions, not only those the Prime Minister wants to hear. In his
press statement the Prime Minister was at his arrogant worst ...,"
the Federal Opposition spokeswoman on health, Ms Jenny Macklin, said.

"His claim that the proposed appointments add to the range of
expertise on the council is clearly incorrect. Zero tolerance now
dominates the committee and is the 'changing role and focus' that the
Prime Minister refers to ... No wonder family support groups feel
disenfranchised with the dismissal of Tony Trimingham."

The council was established after Mr Howard rejected a proposal to
set up a heroin prescription trial, recommended in 1997 by six out of
nine health and police ministers.

The director of St Vincent's Drug and Alcohol Service, Dr Alex Wodak,
said no-one should be surprised that Mr Howard and the chairman of
the council, Major Brian Watters, had tried to "organise a zero
tolerance cheer squad".

"They did this by failing to reappoint several hardworking members of
ANCD committed to the official Australian drug policy of harm
minimisation ...," he said. "There is potentially an important role
for an independent non-government advisory committee made up of
diverse experts but this requires a chair committed unambiguously to
evidence-based harm minimisation and a PM who is prepared to consider
advice that is not to his liking."

The Opposition spokesman on justice, Mr Duncan Kerr, said: "Labor
strongly believes that the council should be a forum for the experts
to discuss effective strategies - not a mouthpiece for the government
of the day."