❓ Opposition questions the WA government's stance on drug policy reform, referencing NSW Labor's approach and contrasting it with WA's. The government firmly rejects considering similar reforms and dismisses the premise of being behind other states.
AnsweredQoN 1475Legislative Council
Asked
13 November 2024
Member
Portfolio
Leader of the House representing the Premier
QuestionView source ↗
DRUGS —
DECRIMINALISATION
1475. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer the minister to recent
comments by New South Wales Labor MLC Stephen Lawrence, published in the Sydney
Morning Herald last week, who, acknowledging that his own Premier had made
a public commitment not to decriminalise drugs, went on to suggest ''there
are many steps that can be taken immediately which are perfectly consistent
with that commitment'', including reduced penalties, redefining small
and trafficable amounts, and amending police search powers for minor cannabis
possession.
(1) Having backed
itself into a similar non-decriminalisation corner, will the Cook Labor
government consider any or all of those ''perfectly consistent''
options in a local context and commit to them ahead of the upcoming state
election?
(2) Does the Premier have a firm date in mind for such
an election and if he does, can he share it with the house?
(3) If no to (1),
will the Premier show ordinary Western Australians the courtesy of explaining
why his government is years behind the progressive stances being taken by Labor
administrations across a number of other Australian jurisdictions?
DECRIMINALISATION
1475. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer the minister to recent
comments by New South Wales Labor MLC Stephen Lawrence, published in the Sydney
Morning Herald last week, who, acknowledging that his own Premier had made
a public commitment not to decriminalise drugs, went on to suggest ''there
are many steps that can be taken immediately which are perfectly consistent
with that commitment'', including reduced penalties, redefining small
and trafficable amounts, and amending police search powers for minor cannabis
possession.
(1) Having backed
itself into a similar non-decriminalisation corner, will the Cook Labor
government consider any or all of those ''perfectly consistent''
options in a local context and commit to them ahead of the upcoming state
election?
(2) Does the Premier have a firm date in mind for such
an election and if he does, can he share it with the house?
(3) If no to (1),
will the Premier show ordinary Western Australians the courtesy of explaining
why his government is years behind the progressive stances being taken by Labor
administrations across a number of other Australian jurisdictions?
AnswerView source ↗
It does concern me if the member is
not aware of the date of the next state election.
(1) No.
(2) The Electoral
Act 1907 prescribes that state elections are scheduled on the second Saturday
of March in an election year, the next being 8 March 2025, unless exceptional
circumstances exist.
(3) I reject the
premise of the question. Only one Australian state has decriminalised the use
of drugs.
not aware of the date of the next state election.
(1) No.
(2) The Electoral
Act 1907 prescribes that state elections are scheduled on the second Saturday
of March in an election year, the next being 8 March 2025, unless exceptional
circumstances exist.
(3) I reject the
premise of the question. Only one Australian state has decriminalised the use
of drugs.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.