PM FORCES HEROIN APOLOGIES

POLITICAL attacks over drugs backfired yesterday when Kim Beazley was
forced to order the withdrawal of claims John Howard was responsible for
heroin deaths.

Shadow attorney-general Nick Bolkus derailed Labor's campaign yesterday by
accusing the Prime Minister of contributing to the death of young people,
dragging Opposition Leader Mr Beazley into a series of defences and damage
control.

In Tasmania, Mr Beazley initially did not distance himself from his
colleague's statement but rang Senator Bolkus after a press conference.

Senator Bolkus later released another statement expressing regret that
anyone may have drawn the inference he was suggesting Mr Howard was
responsible for drug deaths, but he did not withdraw the first statement or
apologise. But the ABC had to apologise to Mr Howard after a Perth
announcer asked if heroin would be "cheaper under a GST".

The future of a series of anti-Coalition "attack" radio ads making similar
accusations about the heroin deaths of children and a crime wave has also
been thrown into doubt.

Mr Howard became angry after Senator Bolkus said "John Howard's drugs
legacy" was "60 dead in Perth alone" and that he had "put the lives of
Australia's young people at risk".

In a statement, Senator Bolkus said heroin deaths had risen "because under
John Howard the price of a cap of heroin has dropped from $40 to as little
as $5 - cheaper than a packet of cigarettes".

The radio ads also said "cheaper heroin, easier for kids to get" and "these
cuts are criminal, Mr Howard".

Mr Howard immediately responded in Perth by saying:

"It is about as cheap a political trick in the book to try to link one of
your political opponents to the number of heroin deaths that have occurred
in a country. That is a guttersnipe jibe. It is not worthy of Mr Beazley.
He ought to do something about it."

The federal director of the Liberal Party, Lynton Crosby, last night asked
the Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters to take the radio ads off
the air because they were "totally outrageous" and breached the
Commonwealth Electoral Act.

On the day the Government announced a $75 million anti-drugs policy, a
union-funded group in NSW echoed Labor's attack on the Government's record
on fighting drugs, accusing the Coalition of lowering the price of heroin
and making it easier for schoolchildren to get drugs.

The Sydney man listed as authorising the drug ads for the union-financed
"Australians for a Fair Go", Bill Hall, withdrew his authority when he
discovered they contained allegations over heroin deaths.

Mr Hall told The Australian yesterday he had never authorised any ads,
never seen any scripts and thought he was one of a number of signatories
from the NSW Public Service Association for an anti-racism ad.

The general secretary of the NSW PSA, Maurie O'Sullian, last night decided
to take over the authorisation of the ads.

Mr Howard's policy committed $75 million to anti-drugs education, treatment
facilities and new mobile police teams to stop narcotics entering Australia
through its major ports.

Labor said the new funds did little to restore the $417 million slashed
from police and Customs' budgets in 1996-97.

Mr Howard's announcement yesterday is an extension of the Government's $215
million "Tough on Drugs" policy.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski