CARR SHOULD BE APPLAUDED

Bob Carr should be applauded for two politically courageous decisions
he has taken in recent days: to support an institute for depression as
proposed by Jeff Kennett, and to trial a heroin injecting room in
inner Sydney. In both cases Mr Carr put aside personal prejudice to
objectively weigh up the best scientific evidence available, evidence
taken from experts in the fields of mental health and substance abuse.

In changing his mind so publicly on these issues, he took a political
risk that will doubtless give his opponents ample cheap shots
("indecisive" and the tiresome "soft on drugs").

This sort of statesmanship is, regrettably, all too rare in politics
and Mr Carr has earned the chance to give both ideas a fair go. Let us
hope the community will recognise the benefits that such an
open-minded approach to governance can bring us all.

Darren Jones,
Manly.