Source: Canberra Times (Australia) Contact: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/ Pubdate: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 Author: Peter Cole-Adams $100M ON DRUGS: PM SETS POLL COURSE The Federal Government is to direct an extra $100 million over four years towards intensifying its 'Tough on Drugs' strategy. The money will be equally divided between programs to prevent and treat drug abuse, and ways to discourage the drug trade through improved law enforcement. Yesterday's announcement, which comes on top of an $87.5 million commitment to a hardline drugs strategy in November, is the latest in a series of initiatives by Prime Minister John Howard in recent days as he sets his agenda for what is expected to be an election year. The Labor Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley, said the new funding was merely an attempt to repair some of the damage done to drug law-enforcement efforts by earlier Howard Government cuts to the police and Customs. On the law-and-order side, the key elements of the new package are commitments of $21 million to the National Crime Authority's 'Blade Task Force' to intensify the targeting of South-East Asian organised crime, particularly the heroin trade, and $11.8 million for 32 extra Australian Federal Police officers in three more mobile strike force teams based in Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. This will double the number of such teams across the country. Money is being provided for new AFP posts in East Asia to combat international drug trafficking ($6 million), assistance for law enforcement in neighbouring countries ($5.6 million), and countering international money laundering ($1 million). Customs will get an extra $4.4 million to extend its intelligence analysis. The lion's share, $21 million, of the $50 million to be devoted to programs addressing drug usage will go to non-government services treating drug addicts 'to help break the cycle of drug dependency and criminal behaviour'. There will be $15.5 million for a community education and information campaign, $4.36 million to evaluate and promote best practice in the treatment of illicit-drug dependence, and $3.5 million to develop a 'strategic early-warning system' to alert governments to emerging drug problems. The new Australian National Council on Drugs is to be chaired by the Salvation Army's Major Brian Watters, with AFP Commissioner Mick Palmer as his deputy. The other 12 members include Ms Jude Byrne, of Canberra, immediate past president of the Australian Intravenous League. The council would advise on legal and illicit drugs, but its first priority would be advising on the development of the National Illicit Drug Strategy. Naomi Mapstone writes that Brian McConnell, president of Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform, said extra funding was always welcome, but he doubted it would be put to its best use. Mr Howard was parroting the United States' spectacularly unsuccessful line on drugs. Mr McConnell criticised Mr Howard's choice of Major Watters, one of the the strongest opponents of the ACT heroin trial, as chairman of the national council. 'I think Brian Watters has been chosen because he has the same view as the Prime Minister and it's a single-minded, essentially tunnel-vision let's-get-tougher-on-drug-use view, which really translates to 'let's get tougher on drug users', that's our concern,' he said. 'We've got a lot of respect for the work that The Salvation Army is doing in practical drug rehabilitation and other fields, but we're disturbed he's entering into what could be a damaging political stance on drug policy.' AFP Commissioner Mick Palmer supported the establishment of the council and the funding boost to the AFP's overseas liaison-officer network. As well as Major Watters and Mr Palmer the members of the new council are: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre executive director Wayne Hall; Australian Secondary Principals' Association Karyn Hart; Australian Intravenous League immediate past president Jude Byrne; Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia president Ian Webster; Tedd Noffs Foundation chief executive Wesley Noffs; Cyrenian House director Arthur Toon; Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council worker Scott Wilson; Damien Trimingham Foundation founder Tony Trimingham; Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Service director Margaret Hamilton; a nominee from the Inter-Governmental Committee on Drugs and two nominees from the National Expert Advisory Committees to the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy.