❓ Opposition questions the effectiveness of the government's 'meth-buster' laws, citing a lack of border searches and increased drug use despite the laws being in place for a year. The Minister disputes the statistics and claims successful operations have occurred.
AnsweredQoN 839Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METHAMPHETAMINE —
BORDER SEARCHES
839. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to the Corruption and Crime Commission's report tabled today
titled Misuse of Drugs Act 1981: Annual report 1 July 2023–30 June 2024 and the minister's media statement of 28
March 2023 in which he boasted that his so- called meth-buster laws would
create 22 permanent search areas around airports, ports and road and rail
border crossings, effectively creating ''a hard meth border''.
(1) Can the
minister explain why, after a full year of these laws being in place, not a single
search has been conducted on any road or rail border crossing into Western Australia?
(2) With less
than one gram of meth seized under these laws, how does the government justify
its claim of creating a hard meth border when Western Australia Police Force
statistics show that drug use has surged to record levels in recent months?
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order, please!
BORDER SEARCHES
839. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to the Corruption and Crime Commission's report tabled today
titled Misuse of Drugs Act 1981: Annual report 1 July 2023–30 June 2024 and the minister's media statement of 28
March 2023 in which he boasted that his so- called meth-buster laws would
create 22 permanent search areas around airports, ports and road and rail
border crossings, effectively creating ''a hard meth border''.
(1) Can the
minister explain why, after a full year of these laws being in place, not a single
search has been conducted on any road or rail border crossing into Western Australia?
(2) With less
than one gram of meth seized under these laws, how does the government justify
its claim of creating a hard meth border when Western Australia Police Force
statistics show that drug use has surged to record levels in recent months?
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order, please!
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
have not seen the report. I have a few portfolios and a few things going on. To
my knowledge, the statistics referred to by the Leader of the Opposition are
not correct. Operations employing the Misuse of Drugs Act and border search
areas have found more than what the Leader of the Opposition said.
have not seen the report. I have a few portfolios and a few things going on. To
my knowledge, the statistics referred to by the Leader of the Opposition are
not correct. Operations employing the Misuse of Drugs Act and border search
areas have found more than what the Leader of the Opposition said.
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