ACT Opposition seeks to overturn drug decriminalisation reform

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The federal opposition will try to overturn Australian-first drug reform in the ACT. The territory is set to decriminalise possession of small amounts of illicit substances from next month.

Transcript

00:00 The ACT government's reform is due to take effect in about six weeks, but a bill from

00:07 Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash would stop it going ahead.

00:11 ACT Policing says it's concerned about people coming to Canberra from interstate to use

00:16 drugs though it will support and implement the government's reform.

00:21 Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has told Nine Radio nothing good will come of

00:25 the ACT's policy.

00:26 You know I've delivered death messages to parents whose kids have died of overdoses,

00:31 I've been to countless domestic violence incidences where blokes are as high as a kite and they

00:38 commit crimes that they wouldn't otherwise and how they could in good conscience do this

00:42 and why the Prime Minister won't stand up to it is beyond me.

00:45 The Territory Opposition has vowed to repeal the law if it wins next year's ACT election.

00:51 ACT Liberal Leader Elizabeth Lee has written to the Federal Opposition to express serious

00:56 concerns about the intervention.

00:58 I think that most Canberrans know very clearly where the Canberra Liberals stand on this

01:02 issue and from time to time there will be issues that we will take a different approach

01:07 to from our Feds.

01:08 Just yesterday the Federal Opposition failed in its efforts to thwart the ACT government's

01:14 takeover of a previously Catholic run hospital.

01:17 The ACT government says federal parliamentarians should stop interfering in Territory issues.

01:23 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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