Death Of Anna Wood

Mr AQUILINA (Riverstone - Minister for Education and Training, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs) [3.40]: I move:

That this House recognises the importance of effective drug education to prevent the destructive effects of youth drug abuse, and urges the Government to maintain its strong stance on comprehensive preventative action.

Yesterday I received devastating news from the Department of School Education that a former student of The Forest High School, Anna Wood, aged 15, lost her life after taking the drug ecstasy. As I said earlier, this tragedy affects our whole community. I am sure I speak, as the Premier did earlier, for all members of this House in extending our heartfelt sympathy to Anna's parents and family, and to her school. This incident underlines the fact that drug abuse is a continuing problem threatening young people in our State. Indeed, they get younger and younger. It is a problem that we must continue to treat with the utmost seriousness, and as a community we must continue to search for effective solutions to prevent the problem. I was deeply moved this morning, while speaking to the principal of The Forest High, Mr Pat Kidd, to hear his plaintive cry:

How can we as teachers overcome the impact of drugs when there is so much in the community which condones it?

He said also:

For impressionable adolescents there is much which says ‘drugs go along with a successful life'.

He told me that constantly young people are being bombarded by popular cultures talking up drugs, and pop groups which are into drugs. He said he recently listened to a radio program on which the compere asked, "Is everybody bonging on?" He said, "We cannot match the charisma of pop groups which are into drugs." He also said, I think quite appropriately, that the media must start to give a message about drugs, and not just an isolated message that drugs are bad. The media frequently advertises that drugs are bad and that youth and others must say no, but much of what is portrayed in the media condones drugs. Groups and subcultures are promoted, particularly among our youth, in which drugs are not only accepted, they are synonymous with success. Mr Kidd said, "Anna Wood could have been thousands of students from thousands of schools." I concur with that thought-provoking statement. Anna Wood was not an isolated person - indeed, she could have been the daughter of any one of us, attending any school in New South Wales and Australia.

Let us look at the statistics. What is the nature of the drug problem? About 13 per cent of those who are 14 to 24 years old used amphetamines at least once in 1993; 5 per cent of males and 9 per cent of females aged 14 to 24 years used ecstasy at least once in 1993. Those figures are taken from a national household drug survey. In 1991, 2 per cent of the total population used ecstasy at least once, and in 1993, 3 per cent of the population used the drug at least once. However, less than half of 1 per cent is recent usage. Marijuana is used on a weekly basis by 30 per cent of those who are 16 to 24 years old, and experimentation with the drug has increased among the school-age population, particularly boys.

The two most abused drugs are alcohol and cigarettes, with 80 per cent of those who are 16 to 24 years old drinking regularly. Of those, one-quarter would regularly have in excess of five drinks in one sitting. That is defined by the Department of Health as binge drinking. From 1989 to 1992 there has been a 5 per cent increase in the number of 16-year-old school students who smoke - 32 per cent of females and 26 per cent of males are smokers. The proportion of students who have smoked a cigarette has also increased. Over 40 per cent of the post-school youth population regularly smoke cigarettes.

That leads to the conclusion that amphetamines, although used at an unacceptable level, are not the major part of the drug challenge. Tobacco and alcohol remain the drugs with the most damaging immediate and long-term effects on young people as a group. Together, those drugs cause 90 per cent of all drug-related deaths in Australia. Among youth, alcohol is the primary cause of drug-related deaths. In fact, alcohol is implicated in over
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half of all deaths of 16- to 24-year-olds. According to medical advice, the drug ecstasy alone is not responsible for death or serious harm. Typically, a combination of ecstasy and high-exertion activities like rave parties lead to dehydration, which then leads to other complications such as heart failure.

The key drug trends relate to gradually increasing tobacco and alcohol usage in 16- to 24-year-olds, especially females. In public high schools reports for this year indicate that only 6 per cent of critical incidents relate to the use of illegal drugs. The vast majority of those incidents - indeed over 75 per cent - relate to marijuana. Incidents involving amphetamines, sedatives or other stimulants account for only about 10 per cent of those incidents. This year the department has been advised of three government school students who have died from drug overdoses. All those deaths occurred outside the schools, either overnight or at weekends. Drug abuse in primary schools is virtually non-existent; it is overwhelmingly an issue for teenagers in secondary schools.

The question may well be asked: what are we doing about drug abuse in New South Wales? The Department of School Education attacks drugs in schools on four fronts. First, it provides preventive drug education for students. Second, it assists students to develop skills for avoiding drug abuse. They need to know refusal strategies in the context of peer group pressure. Third, it promotes positive alternatives to drug use amongst students and self-help programs for students involved in drug use. Fourth, it encourages parents to share with schools the responsibility for drug education programs and to work with schools to ensure that they are drug-free zones.

The Department of School Education receives approximately $1.3 million annually from the Department of Health to support school-based drug education across the State. Non-government schools also receive funds for this purpose. These funds are part of the national drug strategy. Across the State 15 officers with responsibility for drug education provide curriculum support materials, teacher training, ongoing support and policy advice for school-based drug education programs. TAFE also offers a range of drug and alcohol programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of abuse and the harm it causes. It targets work-related and social abuse of drugs, and targets both illicit and legal drugs.

TAFE also has a unit which monitors drug and alcohol use among students, and trains staff to effectively impart to students skills to reduce drug use. This provides a continuous preventive service. I am proud to say that TAFE is also playing a key role in developing responsible serving practices for people being trained in the hospitality industry. We want to make sure bartenders and publicans take drug issues seriously and have enough knowledge to exercise their responsibility to ensure their patrons are not inebriated. Schools and parents share responsibility for the drug problem. As the Premier announced, we will ensure that public schools do not tolerate illegal drugs. Suspension will occur immediately if a substance being touted by a student is believed to be illegal, or it is confirmed by police as being in fact illegal. Under arrangements made with the Police Service, such substances will be identified within 48 hours of its being handed to police by the school principal. The cost of identification is to be charged to the department, and the Police Service will hold the substance pending any legal action against the student and parents.

But schools can only do so much. Most drug abuse occurs outside the school, yet it affects the classroom environment. Parents are responsible for the behaviour of their children, and they have the task of ensuring that their children arrive at school ready to learn. Unfortunately in a number of cases that is not so. If a child's behaviour is unsatisfactory, the responsibility rests with the parents of the child. If such behaviour is criminal, police will be called to the school. Schools are not, and never will be, sanctuaries from the rule of law. Students found dealing in drugs at schools, and bringing harm to their colleagues, will be subject to the full force of the law. In the 1995 budget $1 million has been allocated to combat drugs. This will go a long way towards solving the problem. [Time expired.]

Mr O'DOHERTY (Ku-ring-gai) [3.50]: On behalf of the New South Wales Opposition I express deepest sympathy to the family of Anna Wood. My sympathies go also to the students at The Forest High School; its principal, Pat Kidd; and the staff of the school, who have experienced the tragedy of the life of a 15-year-old girl being taken well before time. As a parent, when I heard the news I was shocked, horrified and overcome with sadness. My wife and I have discussed the sadness of this matter at breakfast over the past couple of days. The fact that the lives of many young people are similarly affected is an indictment of society. We are all accountable, not just one person. We have a broad social responsibility to ensure that this does not happen to young people.

The Opposition joins with the Government to condemn the drug culture. The Parliament must lead the attack against this blight on society. However, I say reluctantly that Opposition members consider it in bad taste that the Government has sought to move such a motion for purely political reasons. I hope that as a member of Parliament I will not see again a party seeking to politicise the death of a young person. I know that other members of the Opposition are of a like mind.

The honourable member for Davidson, the member in whose electorate the young lady resided, will have more to say about the impact of politicising this event. The Opposition dissociates itself from such a blatant politicisation. It is for the Minister for Education and Training and the Leader of the House ultimately to state their motives for
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moving this motion today. The Minister spoke about surveys of drug abuse among young people. The figures hide the fact that there is a broad culture of acceptance of the use of drugs in our society generally. We must examine ourselves in relation to that matter. Those who enjoy alcohol or cigarettes are as much to blame for the culture among young people as the young people themselves. Certainly, we should not judge young people who become caught up in a culture in which, as the Minister rightly said, to be regarded as a success one must be involved with drugs.

The media and the image makers of our society are not without blame also. Often images thrown at young people telling them what they should be, who they should be and who they should aspire to be contain the pernicious message that success is accelerated drug use and involvement in the drug culture. Society must hang its head in shame because images depict young people of today - as young people of past generations were depicted - as being involved with drugs. The message seems to be that the way to get on, the way to popularity, and the way to look good in front of mates and friends is to do those things that will ultimately lead to one's destruction.

It is a sad commentary that too often we use things that are destructive to construct an image for ourselves, whereas the correct approach is to look within ourselves for positive values and to construct ourselves around those positive values. We must construct meaning in our lives through our relationships with people and, I believe, our relationship with God. We must construct our lives around positive values, rather than negative values that will ultimately destroy us. It does not occur only through a drug culture; it also occurs as a result of excessive materialism. Of course, from the United States - we seem to borrow so many youth cultures from that country - we get a direct line on excessive materialism, and that leads ultimately to a drug culture. Originally ecstasy was regarded as a yuppie drug; affluent people used to buy it. These days it is available fairly cheaply on the streets of Sydney; it is certainly cheap enough for young people to buy with their pocket money.

In the same culture affluence is everything, and ultimate materialism, rather than relationships between people, is regarded as the highest ideal. The culture relies on things artificial to get a high. When I reflect on the young people with whom I am in contact, and those with whom I have had contact over the years, I recall experiencing no greater high than that which was obtained from being involved in a performing ensemble, in doing a great job in front of an audience, doing well in a dance group, playing well on the sporting field, debating well or being highly regarded by friends for doing something of value in the community. Those are the great highs of life. We do not need artificial substances to get on a high. Natural highs are much more satisfying in the end.

The latest surveys show that marijuana has taken over as the second most commonly used substance among under-age people, particularly in high schools. That is, it has overtaken tobacco use. We need to ensure that our policies in this area take full account of that fact. Young people seem to be reflecting on the health aspects of tobacco and, in some cases, alcohol. However, as the Minister rightly said, there are many available statistics on binge drinking by young people. It is not as if new opinions cannot be formed in the minds of young people on such issues as health, the environment and so on. We are doing that all the time through education and some media cultures. But in some cases those same media cultures promote other illegal substances and give the impression that some are not harmful. Young people today get the impression that marijuana is not a harmful drug, and that they can happily smoke marijuana because it will not affect them in the same way that tobacco or perhaps alcohol might affect them. It is a fraud that may lead to their death. Within the marijuana culture, into which young people are drawn, there is easy acceptance of other drugs such as amphetamines and ecstasy.

Mr O'Farrell: It's the cocktail that kills.

Mr O'DOHERTY: It is the cocktail that kills, as the honourable member for Northcott reminds me. I understand the need to attack drinking and smoking, as alcohol and drug authorities have argued over the past few years. But we must also examine the reluctance to attack other illegal drugs. It is not appropriate simply to attack drinking and smoking and to allow a sort of wink-wink, nudge-nudge acceptance of other forms of so-called recreational drugs. Such substances will destroy our children's lives, and we cannot stand by and let that happen. I wish to raise a number of matters relating to drug education in New South Wales schools. I take issue with some of the ways in which the Government is addressing the problem. In particular I am concerned about its relationship with external agencies, the peer support foundation, life education centres, the centre for education and others.

I am concerned also about the impact that the restructuring of the Department of School Education will have on the Parliament's ability to deliver programs. Of concern is the number of people within the department who are working on drug education today. I believe there are fewer now than in previous years. I do not wish to engage in a political debate today. The Government's attempt to politicise this matter in order to congratulate itself is distasteful, and the Opposition dissociates itself from the exercise. It is an absolute disgrace. We will have a debate about drug education policies on another day. Today is a day of mourning.

Mr WHELAN (Ashfield - Minister for Police) [4.00]: This is not a crude attempt at politicisation. As members are all aware, there is a need to focus on such issues as this while they are still firmly in
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the public consciousness. Tragically the death of this young lady, Anna Wood, has again demonstrated the devastation caused by drugs. It would be irresponsible of any government not to address this issue. I have no qualms at all as a Minister of the Government in stating that my priority is the preservation of young people, not what may or may not happen at an ALP caucus meeting. Talk about politicisation! The Opposition could have moved its political motion tomorrow. I do not know how the honourable member for Davidson, in whose electorate The Forest High School is located, will explain to his constituents why he voted against this motion coming before the Parliament today. He has got some explaining to do.

I am realistic enough to know that whatever governments do there will always be some people in our community who risk both their health and their freedom by taking illegal drugs. Therefore I make an appeal to young people: if you or your friends take illegal drugs or partake of alcohol and become ill, you should not hesitate to seek medical help. In fact, this should be your first priority. Above and beyond any fear you may have of the authorities, your first thought should be your safety and welfare and the safety and welfare of your friends. Human life is too valuable. As the Jewish Talmud says, "Every child born has a message for the human race." We all have to work together to avoid a repeat of the tragedy that occurred last weekend.

My ministerial colleagues have informed the House of initiatives in their portfolio areas to educate and warn about the dangers of drugs. The New South Wales Police Service is also taking positive steps to educate and inform people about, as well as to enforce, the laws pertaining to the illegal drug trade. I would like to mention a couple of positive anti-drug initiatives which are currently under way. I have spoken before about the crime prevention workshop programs that have recently been extended statewide in secondary schools. The program presents an opportunity for teenagers to mix with local police, to learn about the consequences of risk-taking behaviour and to develop strategies to reduce the temptation of drugs and crime. These workshops are also addressed by Department of Health representatives, who specifically discuss the effects of drugs. Some members of this House - the honourable member for Cabramatta and the honourable member for East Hills - have attended these workshops in their local communities. They have reported to me their overwhelming enthusiasm for the initiative and have confirmed the existence of positive feedback, particularly from local kids.

At the enforcement level police consistently gather intelligence to use in launching effective anti-drug operations. For example, Operation Noah, the annual anti-drug phone-in, is used to gauge drug-taking habits and any changes in trends. I am advised that reports are followed up and as a result positive leads have emerged into those responsible for high level drug manufacture and supply. These leads are currently being investigated. Over the past two years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of calls received about amphetamines. As a result the drug enforcement agencies have established a task force to target the illegal manufacture and supply of the drug. The Police Service and the Department of Health are cooperating in this operation.

The interdepartmental approach is targeting the availability of chemical ingredients in order to cut off the supply at the source. Let me give a stern warning to those who deal in death and despair. It is only a matter of time. Let this be a clear warning: you only need to be caught carrying one tablet of the so-called designer drug ecstasy and you will face two years in gaol and/or a $2,000 fine; you have to ask yourself whether it is really worth the risk. I am delighted to support the motion and the Premier's remarks in response to a question asked of him in question time. I congratulate the Minister for Education and Training on the great work that he has done in this regard. I salute the Police Service for what it is doing, particularly Senior Constable Darren Steadman, who has been involved in the crime prevention program in schools throughout New South Wales. When I attended one of those crime prevention seminars involving young students at a school in the inner west, the principal of the school told me that as a result of the three-day seminar the attitude of young people in the school towards the school, the principal, authority generally and police in particular, had changed for the better. It is no wonder that I, as Minister for Police, will be encouraging the New South Wales Police Service in that endeavour.

Mr HUMPHERSON (Davidson) [4.05]: I represent the community in which The Forest High School is situated. I am sure all members of the community and honourable members of this House experienced a chill when they read the article and saw the photograph of Anna Wood on the front page of today's Daily Telegraph Mirror. They made me realise just how close our homes and communities are to drug-related deaths. On behalf of all members of this place - especially the honourable member for Wakehurst - and my local community I offer condolences to the family and friends of Anna Wood. The local community is a very close one; I am sure all its members feel very strongly about this issue.

I acknowledge the strong offers of support from the Forest High School and its principal, Pat Kidd. All members of the school community are deeply saddened and affected by this episode. I was particularly distressed by the manner in which this matter was raised in the House today. The ministerial statement of the Premier was appropriate, but the way the Government has sought to follow up with this motion is disappointing. I shall not respond to the comments made by the Leader of the House in his contribution to debate,
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but I draw to his attention allegations of drug taking and drug activities on the school oval immediately behind the Frenchs Forest police station.

We all need to focus on drug education. Ironically, two or three years ago I held a public meeting on drug education at The Forest High School, for which I received strong support from the principal and the school community. There was a recognition then that the impact of drugs can often be felt very close to home and that we needed to be just as vigilant in the more affluent areas about that matter as we are in the not so affluent areas of our city. We need to ensure that the resources to maintain that vigilance are available right across the community. We have responsibilities as members of the community and as members of Parliament to establish laws to deter offenders and to provide for penalties that will punish in the strongest manner possible those who are motivated by greed to exploit young people.

Unfortunately, the use of drugs by young people and their availability and accessibility are very high. Today the principal of the school was quoted in the paper as saying that drugs were available at the Chatswood and Manly transport interchanges. Young people can obtain drugs without any difficulty - a matter which clearly has to be addressed. I continue to advocate the drug education of young adults and children, which clearly is an important arm in the process of reducing drug usage. As I said earlier, this problem is not limited to less affluent suburbs; it can affect us all at any time without notice. Unfortunately, today our community has been badly affected by the death of Anna Wood, and all members would agree with the sentiments expressed in the motion. I endorse the actions of the Premier, who is seeking to close down the Phoenician Club and other locations which encourage or assist young people to take drugs. [Time expired.]

Dr REFSHAUGE (Marrickville - Deputy Premier, Minister for Health, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs) [4.10]: I also support the motion and welcome the bipartisan support for it. Havoc is being wreaked on our society because of the use of illegal drugs. That is not to say, of course, that legal drugs are not a problem, for they certainly are. But our focus today is on the use of illegal drugs and their effect on young people. Interestingly, in 1993 a national household survey found that 3 per cent of those surveyed Australiawide had tried ecstasy or other designer drugs, and 1 per cent had used them in the last 12 months. In response to another question, 8 per cent of the population reported that they had used amphetamines - 2 per cent in the last 12 months - and 3 per cent of the population reported that they had used cocaine or crack. In 1993, 13 per cent of people aged between 20 and 24 had tried ecstasy; 19 per cent had used amphetamines; 6 per cent had used cocaine; 17 per cent had used hallucinogens; and 5 per cent had injected drugs.

In 1993 there were three deaths in New South Wales from accidental poisoning associated with the use of psycho-stimulants, and in 1990 there were two deaths. Accidental poisoning from illicit drugs other than opiates and barbiturates was responsible for 98 deaths in Australia in 1992 and 50 of those deaths were in the 15-year-old to 34-year-old age group. I have no doubt that the figures are higher than those exposed by that national survey. The tragedy is that the young lives that are being destroyed - young lives that should be productive - are our hope for the future. I, and I am sure all honourable members, certainly accept the suggestion that we should be doing more. We need better drug education and training programs for children at a very young age. But we need more than education. It is not just the education system or governments in general that can make a difference.

The fact that the Minister for Education and Training, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs is being supported by the Minister for Police and me demonstrates the need for a whole-of-government approach. Many factors are involved in this issue, and one of the factors highlighted by the Premier is that we need to spend some time contemplating the need for families and parents to accept their responsibilities. It is not easy being a parent these days with so many things changing. It has probably been said by every parent that modern times are harder than they were in our days. We are facing challenges that we have not faced before. How are we to be productive and ensure that our children grow up healthy and have a positive attitude to life?

We must recognise the role that parents should play and we must provide them with support. Many parents start their parenthood without any understanding of what it will be like. In fact, many of my colleagues, on the birth of their first child, have said that they were not aware how their lives would be changed by having a child. Difficulties can arise if parents have no support and have to handle problems. Dysfunctional patterns can develop from the interaction between a parent and child, which can lead to problems such as child abuse. When children become adolescents they experiment with drugs and engage in other dangerous activities. If there is no communication, parents are not able to impart their wisdom to their children to ensure that they understand what is being offered to them and have the ability to say no.

We should not blame anyone for this unfortunate incident. We should certainly try to find a solution to this drug problem, which is a scourge on our society. But we must ensure that when there are cries for help, there are places where those cries will be heard and that there are people to provide support. One of the messages today should be that if parents are worried about their children they should not forget about them; they should take the matter seriously and seek help. Help is available, whether at schools or community health centres or on anonymous phone-in lines.
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There are people who know what those parents are going through and they are there to help. I encourage parents to assist the Government in finding a solution to this problem. [Time expired.]

Mr AQUILINA (Riverstone - Minister for Education and Training, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs) [4.15], in reply: I thank all honourable members for their contributions to this debate. Some Opposition members made a few negative comments, but they were relatively minor. Overall, the debate has been positive. I empathise with the honourable member for Davidson. I know what it is like to represent an electorate that has suffered a major tragedy. It is never easy for members to talk about things such as this in this Chamber. I was the member for Blacktown when Anita Cobby's parents suffered their terrible tragedy. That incident occurred three streets away from my home and I know what it is like. I know how the Minister for Police felt earlier this year when he and a cohort of boys from Trinity Grammar School attended the funeral of Peter Savage. We were all outraged by the death of Michael Marslew, just as we are outraged today by the death of Anna Wood.

These tragedies are not pleasant, but they are major motivators in affecting public opinion and making governments do things. It was important for us to debate this matter urgently because these issues are of great concern to each and every resident of this State, to every parent and to every legislator. I extend to the honourable member for Davidson my sincere sympathy. I know he will perform his task - as would any member of Parliament - by conveying appropriate sentiments to the family of Anna Wood and to the school. This morning I did as much to Pat Kidd, the Principal of The Forest High School. His plea to me, besides the others I mentioned earlier, was, "Please make people aware that The Forest High School is not a school where drugs are easily available." Apparently, some people are placing that tag on the school. It is important for that point to be made in this House today.

The Forest High School, which has a great reputation, has the motto "Excellence across the Curriculum". The honourable member for Ku-ring-gai would know that it has an enviable reputation for performing arts - the sorts of things he was talking about earlier that give young people a buzz and a great high. I had the opportunity of observing much of their work. I, the Minister for Police and the Minister for Health have not attacked the previous Government on these issues. We have not sought to make this a political debate. We have not congratulated ourselves on anything we have done, because that is not appropriate in these circumstances. Everyone should focus on this issue today, and again I invite Opposition members to come forward with positive statements about it. The honourable member for Ku-ring-gai has said he would be only too willing to do so.

The Government has been in office for only a short period and has not been able to directly and dramatically influence issues of this type, which everyone would agree would take years to achieve. However, the Government wants community support for its work and it wants the benefit of having everyone's opinion. Tragic as it may be, Anna Wood's death will focus our attention in a way that nothing else can on this pernicious evil that is so prevalent among many young people in our society. The facts and figures have been put forward about the dilemma facing policy makers. Those facts and figures must be addressed and the right policies must be formulated. I welcome the input of the community, its leaders and commentators in helping the Government reach the right decisions.

Motion agreed to.