Insiders

NT CAMPAIGNERS FACE PRISON AFTER PARLIAMENT PROTEST

The Panel speaks to Gary Meyerhoff from the Network Against Prohibition
about his recent arrest. Barrie Cassidy begins by asking him about his
protest in the NT Parliament which could result in jail term of up to five
months.

BARRIE CASSIDY: We've been waiting to catch up with somebody in Darwin and
we've just made the connection. There's a political story unfolding up
there that I don't we can allow to slip under the radar. The Labor
Government there has passed new drug laws. If you're convicted three times,
they're entitled to put a large, bright green sign on your door declaring
your house a drug house, and anyone going near it can be searched. A group
of five drug law reform campaigners invading the Parliament in protest,
they were arrested, convicted and now they're going to jail for up to five
months. And one of them is Gary Meyerhoff and he joins us now. Good morning.

GARY MEYERHOFF, NETWORK AGAINST PROHIBITION: Good morning, how are you?

BARRIE CASSIDY: Tell me what happened that day when you protested in the
parliament?

GARY MEYERHOFF: Well, it basically all happen quickly. We were in the
public gallery for a while, just watching events and we were waiting for
the drug house legislation to be debated. There was about 10 of us. We
moved down from the public gallery and into the main foyer of the
Legislative Assembly and we did intend just to have a demonstration at the
doors to the chamber. To our surprise the doors were open and we actually
entered and tried to speak to the politicians about the legislation.

BARRIE CASSIDY: You were convicted, as I understand it, under a law that
goes back to the 17th century and was actually designed to deal with Oliver
Cromwell?

GARY MEYERHOFF: We've had legal advice that it hasn't actually been used
anywhere in Australia and possibly not in the Westminster system. This is
the first time that people have been sentenced to jail for this sort of
offence.

ANDREW BOLT, 'HERALD SUN': Well, thank goodness for that, Gary, I hope you
use your time in jail, should it come to that, to reflect more wisely on a
few things. Can I just check which Gary Meyerhoff are you? You're the Gary
Meyerhoff, for a start, that was a Socialist Alliance candidate?

GARY MEYERHOFF: I have run for the Socialist Alliance.

BARRIE CASSIDY: I don't think there is a 17th century law that bars that,
Andrew.

ANDREW BOLT: No, but it goes to the agenda that Gary is running. You're
also the Gary Meyerhoff, aren't you, that advocated a marijuana smoke-in,
which is against the law, and said "this was a perfect opportunity for
people to voice their concerns about US imperialism." Is that the same Gary
Meyerhoff?

GARY MEYERHOFF: That's correct, and we actually have those smoke-ins every
month...

ANDREW BOLT: More seriously, are you the Gary Meyerhoff that did work for
an Aboriginal health service that the Commonwealth pays to cut drug use?

GARY MEYERHOFF: Well, I was an employee. ANDREW BOLT: And said that it did
not condone the use of drugs. What is your real agenda here?

KAREN MIDDLETON, THE 'WEST AUSTRALIAN': Let him answer you.

GARY MEYERHOFF: I've been involved in an area called harm reduction for
some time, you're obviously a prohibitionist and you support the current
approach of the Australian Government, of State and Territory governments,
they're causing untold harm to Australia's young people. And some of us
have actually been working up there trying to reduce the harm that people
that are going to use drugs anyway regardless of how long you throw them in
jail, your sentences, your propaganda. A lot of people are using drugs
anyway more than ever before in Australia. We should be looking at how can
we actually reduce the harm and look at why do we have problematic drug use
in the first place. And that's what I was doing at the Aboriginal health
service, and that's work that I've been involved in for some time.

BARRIE CASSIDY: I'm sorry, we have to leave it there. Thank you for your
time this morning, Gary. We took a while to get the link and we have to
move on.

GARY MEYERHOFF: No worries.