DRUGS EXPERTS IN DARK OVER BOOKLET

The Prime Minister's office provided a copy of a rewritten anti-drugs
booklet to the chairman of the Australian National Council on Drugs, Major
Brian Watters, but not to the specialist committee set up to evaluate the
campaign.

The chairwoman of the special council's reference group, Professor Margaret
Hamilton, expressed concern yesterday that the rewritten booklet had not
yet been seen by her group.

Professor Hamilton, who is also the director of Melbourne's Turning Point
alcohol and drug centre, said withdrawal of the campaign until after the
Olympics would be welcome, as it would allow extra time to gain consensus
on the issue.

"I certainly have concern if there is a document and we didn't get access,"
Professor Hamilton said.

"We have been very actively involved in this for over two years and have
worked on the development of all the various components of the campaign;
TV, advertising, the community strategy and other elements including those
directed at non-English-speakers and the Aboriginal community.

"We last had contact three weeks ago and we understood and accepted that
other groups would have input including the PM ... we assumed we were
pooling feedback for finalisation, and as a reference group would be very
concerned if we were not to be involved in that feedback loop."

Professor Hamilton said Major Watters was involved in at least one meeting
with the Prime Minister's office and had had "the opportunity to see the
most recent version" of the booklet.

"I anticipate he will invite the reference group to consider and provide
feedback. The advantage of the delay is that it allows appropriate time to
gain consensus."

The Herald reported yesterday that the $16 million advertising strategy had
suddenly been withdrawn after health officials and drug and alcohol
specialists criticised a rewrite of the information booklet by Mr Howard's
staff.

The booklet, due to be sent to all Australian households this month, formed
part of an anti-drugs TV, newspaper and educational strategy.

The version revised by Mr Howard's office, obtained by the Herald, shows
the removal of alcohol and tobacco from drug information, the addition of
statistics and statements that health sources describe as "unscientific",
and a new focus on the family as the "strongest weapon against the drug
problem".

Yesterday, Major Watters strongly defended the amended booklet, saying it
was not authoritarian but designed to encourage parents and to highlight
the importance of family life as a preventive tool in the war against drug use.

He said Mr Howard's office had the right to contribute to the booklet
because the Commonwealth was paying for the campaign. He insisted that the
main thrust of the information remained the same.

"It's not an authoritarian document and does not take a hard line or zero
tolerance attitude. It is geared to recognise parents and home as a prime
influence in prevention and the importance of talking to children about the
issue and to listen to what they're saying."