On the eve of a major drug summit, several prominent social welfare bodies are urging the NSW government to ensure that nothing is off the table so that the summit results in genuine reforms.
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00:00This is the third instalment of a NSW-wide drug summit that started in the regional parts
00:08of the state but has now come to Sydney for its biggest part of the conference yet.
00:14Already these social welfare groups are saying there needs to be a rethinking of how the
00:18state government makes laws and indeed responds to drug use, not just here where I am in inner
00:24city Sydney but around the state.
00:26We have to have the capacity for supervised injection in other places.
00:30We have to have the capacity to provide drug checking both at festivals and at fixed site.
00:36We have to have legislative reform to change the narrative and move away from the shame
00:41and the stigma that keeps people in the shadows.
00:43We have to look at things like prison reform when we're hemorrhaging money into a system
00:48and that the other systems like treatment are crying out desperately for help.
00:52Whether or not those reforms being called for including the testing of drugs as well
00:56as a decriminalisation broadly of drugs takes place remains to be seen.
01:01The NSW Premier Chris Mintz has often been coy or reluctant to commit to such matters
01:07but did while in opposition commit to this drug summit and that's where these organisations
01:13remain hopeful of potential change.
01:15They cite the 1999 state drug summit which led to the creation of a supervised injecting
01:20centre.
01:21At that point it seemed unlikely they say that state politicians would support such
01:25a move but had their minds changed after the accounts and testimony they heard when people
01:31spoke about the impact illegal drug use was having on the state and what might be the
01:36solutions to these problems.
01:38Already we have seen some commitments from the state government though they deal with
01:42funding for programs rather than legislative change.
01:46These are things like funding for diversionary programs for young people and children as
01:51well as reforms to the way in which treatment centres operate including more money for outpatient
01:57care as well as other rehabilitation centres not just in the greater Sydney area but also
02:02right across the region of NSW.
02:05This part of the summit will run for two days and is expected to hear from experts of a
02:09group of about 500 people.
02:12Chris Menz is expected to be in attendance for at least some of the summit.