Labor wants a drugs summit. But experts say we’ve already had one

The Labor government’s plan to host another drugs summit risks repeating the work of an $11 million ice investigation that has already produced expert evidence needed for urgent drug reform.

In comments echoed by the NSW legal fraternity, former ice inquiry commissioner Professor Dan Howard, SC, urged the government not to “reinvent the wheel” with another summit, which could result in further delays to fix problems he identified three years ago.

The prospect of another drugs summit has been described as “a superfluous and unnecessary public expense”.

“I understand it’s been part of Labor’s policy to hold a drug summit, but I have serious doubts whether this could achieve anything more than has already been achieved by the inquiry,” Howard said.

“It’s imperative that the government move on this. Further delay in drug law and policy reform seems unnecessary and potentially harmful to the welfare of persons with drug issues.”

The Law Society of NSW and the NSW Bar Association said they were also troubled by delays on urgent recommendations from the inquiry and the prospect of another summit, which the association described as “a superfluous and unnecessary public expense”.

Howard, an eminent law professor, led the 14-month inquiry that heard harrowing evidence of the impacts of drug abuse, before producing a final report in 2020 that made 109 recommendations.

It took two years and eight months for the former government to respond to the report, and it stopped short of decriminalising drugs and conceded key recommendations would not be implemented before the election.

The $500 million response in September also committed historic spending to rehabilitation and expanding the drug and alcohol workforce.

Peak medical groups and specialists repeatedly warned the former government’s failure to respond to the inquiry would have catastrophic consequences, costing lives and damaging communities.

In opposition, Labor also seized on the former government’s inaction, making an election commitment to hold its own drug summit in the first term.

NSW Premier Chris Minns is yet to announce the timing or terms of reference for the summit, but Labor has previously said it would bring together health and medical experts, police, drug user organisations and families.

Law Society President Cassandra Banks said the very same stakeholders had been captured by the lengthy ice inquiry, arguing that their evidence would not have changed.

“There is no point in duplicating work that has already been done,” she said.

“We are three years down the track from the report. We can’t wait for the outcome of another inquiry, in which we are going to say the same thing. Now is the time to implement.”

Attorney-General Michael Daley did not respond to questions about the issue. A government spokesman said it would announce the summit in due course.

Gabrielle Bashir, SC, president of the NSW Bar Association, said the professional body did not support another summit.

“It would be a superfluous and unnecessary public expense in light of the ice inquiry’s clear road map for reform,” she said.

“Procrastinating on drug reform means valuable opportunities for much-needed treatment and support are missed, and that significant time and resources of police and courts are spent on low-level drug offending rather than ... organised crime and serious domestic violence offending.”

A pre-court diversion scheme for small-quantity drug possession, greater support services and reducing the criminal record of a small-quantity drug conviction from 10 years to two years are among the highest priorities for which the legal fraternity is advocating.

Chief executive officer of the Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies Dr Robert Stirling said the former government’s response did not go far enough.

Asked about Labor’s drug summit, he said: “When it comes to the systemic policy and funding issues that have resulted in inadequate care and support, the NSW government already knows what needs to be done.”

Howard said he was keen to work with the new government on its summit, if it was built on his final report, but urged greater action.

“The summit seems to be their policy and I don’t want to rubbish their approach ... but it would be a shame if they felt they had to reinvent the wheel,” he said.

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