MAYORS PUT PREMIERS' DRUG STRATEGY UNDER MICROSCOPE

AUSTRALIA'S seven lord mayors will review the premiers conference drug
strategy and intend to pressure federal and State governments to go further
in the war against illicit drugs.

Claiming to have sparked the national debate on the need for a strategy to
counter drug abuse in the nation's cities, the drugs strategy agreed to at
the premiers conference last week will be top of the agenda at the annual
lord mayors' meeting in Sydney on Friday.

The mayors will support the Commonwealth's decision to allocate funds for
locally based education and prevention programs.

The mayors credit Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett for taking up former
Melbourne Lord Mayor Ivan Deveson's call for a drug strategy and putting it
on the national agenda, but point out they've been "hot" on the issue for
more than 12 months.

Sydney Lord Mayor Frank Sartor, who will host the conference on Friday, is
critical of the Federal Government for being "ideologically hidebound" on
drugs and says Canberra has not given a practical lead in health, social
welfare and crime-prevention programs.

He would also like to see the governments of NSW and Victoria "closer" on an
approach to fighting drug abuse.

"Victoria, NSW and Canberra need to move together on this," he says. "That
would create a block that would be hard to stop."

"All praise to Jeff Kennett," said Brisbane Lord Mayor Jim Soorley
yesterday. "He took it up after Ivan Deveson pushed it. The lord mayors have
taken the lead, definitely.

"We will review the outcome of the premiers conference and we'll put
pressure on in areas where we think they haven't gone far enough."

Mr Soorley also agrees with Mr Kennett's view that State governments are
becoming irrelevant.

Mr Kennett told a business conference in Adelaide last week he expected
State governments would disappear by 2060. "I think it will happen before
then," Mr Soorley said, adding that local government was better placed to
implement macro-economic reform than any other level of government.

"The Federal Government's reform agendas haven't led to macro-economic
reform," he said. "Regional governance gets far better outcomes."

Friday's meeting will be part of the regular twice-yearly conferences of
capital city lord mayors 96 a diverse group with more influence than power,
but growing political clout.