Thank you Mr Speaker. Last Monday I joined with my Assembly colleagues Mick Gentleman, Brendan Smyth and Dr Deb Foskey in attending the 11th Annual Remembrance Ceremony "for those who lose their lives to illicit drugs".

As part of the ceremony we listened as Bishop Pat Power read a list of over 170 names of Canberrans who have died as a result of illicit drug use. Most of those were between the age of 18 and 35 although even more tragically, a number were younger than that and some died in their middle years.

Bishop Power told those congregated that only last week one of his brother priests performed the burial ceremony for a member of his own family, proof yet again, if it were ever needed, that this tragedy is totally indiscriminate in the way that it strikes.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Tony Trimingham, the CEO of Family Drug Support. Tony lost his 23 yearold son Damien 10 years ago.

Mr Speaker Mr Trimingham went on to say that since he started Family Drug Support, he has had the opportunity to travel the world, meet many dedicated people and even receive awards for his work but that he would give it all up were he able to spend just 10 minutes with Damien.

A son, who for him, will ever be 23 but a son he will never see develop to his full potential, a son who will never have children of his own, a son who for him is now only a memory.

The Remembrance Day Ceremony was started 11 years ago by Family and Friends for Drug Law Reform and in particular Brian and Marion McConnell who tragically lost there own son Cliff.

The ceremony is held under a locust tree in Weston Park because of its particular association for the family of one of their members whose brother died in 1996.

At that time the tree was bare and its thorns stood out against the winter sky. But spring has brought new growth and white blossoms and its beauty and renewal now inspires us.

At the ceremony we wore white and green ribbons to represent the colours of the blossoms and the new green leaves

There is also a plaque under the tree at which those of us who attended were able to place flowers as we made our own personal remembrance.

Mr Speaker for decades now successive governments of all political persuasions have spent millions of dollars seeking to prevent illicit drugs from being brought into the country. We need to look at what we are doing to assist those who have become addicted to these substances.

We seem to believe that the answer is to stop their importation and the problem will then somehow magically be solved.

Mr Speaker such an approach reminds me of an old Chinese proverb, "There is a simple answer to every complex problem, the trouble is it is usually wrong."

Such is the case with the so called "war on drugs". It is all too obvious that merely preventing importation will certainly not solve the problem.

The financial rewards are simply too great for the drug barons to walk away from such a lucrative market. The mark-ups are so huge that even if large amounts of the contraband can be seized and countless mules arrested the trade will still continue.

Mr Speaker there is no silver bullet answer to this complex problem, as the proverb suggests, but one thing is for certain if we continue to address this major problem in the way we currently are then many more young, and not so young, people will either needlessly die or have their future lives ruined because of criminal convictions recorded against them as a consequence of crimes committed to feed their habit.

The safe injecting facility that has now been operating in Kings Cross is proving to be a major success with many lives being saved from what may have otherwise been fatal overdoses but more importantly it reports many more are now seeking the support of services that are available through the centre and are choosing for themselves to seek help for their addiction.

Mr Speaker just because a person, who for whatever ever reason, becomes addicted to illicit substances, this is no reason to treat the problem as one to be solved through our legal system.

This is a health issue and must first and foremost be seen as such.

We have an obligation to be visionary and to seek new and better ways of reducing the harm and destruction that is being wrought on all those affected including those who love and care for them.

Unlike many of those who were there on Monday I have not been touched by the death of a family member as a result of illicit drugs however a member of my family continues to deal with major issues as a result of substance abuse.

He is fortunate to have the love and support of his family but it is a constant struggle for all concerned. Friends and families cannot do it alone; those addicted can't do it alone.

Mr Speaker, I ask all those in this Assembly to try and imagine how they would feel if a member of their family suffered in this way.

I find the problem always takes on a sharper focus if we allow ourselves to be in the midst of it rather than as an observer.
I trust that no names will be added to the list next year but I fear they will.