Meth dealers the focus as leaders go to war on drugs

The Barnett government has pledged to jail small-time methamphetamine dealers and mules for between one and 15 years.

West Australian Premier Colin Barnett.

The Barnett government has begun the second week of the West Australian election campaign with a pledge to jail small-time methamphetamine dealers and mules for between one and 15 years, and promising to build Western Australia’s first secure hospital for involuntary rehabilitation.

The Liberal-Nationals government’s $190 million meth strategy includes an additional 256 prison beds for an expected influx of dealers, and state Police Minister Liza Harvey pointed yesterday to a “frustrating” example of a meth dealer recently fined instead of jailed. She said that when prosecutors launched an expensive appeal, the dealer received only a six-month sentence with parole.

“It’s not good enough,” Ms Harvey said.

“We are hearing about dealers who are factoring jail time into their business plans.”

The state Labor opposition unveiled its own tough measures for meth dealers, including a mandatory 25-year sentence for anyone caught with 28g or more of meth.

Last Friday, state Labor leader Mark McGowan unveiled a plan that includes two new dedicated meth prisons — one for women, one for men — and two new residential treatment centres.

“During the last 8½ years of the Liberal-National government, WA has developed the worst rates of meth usage of any state in Australia,” he said. “We need drastic action and we need it now.”

Yesterday, WA Labor, buoyed by a Newspoll that puts it on track for victory next month, launched a jobs initiative linked to its passenger rail plan, Metronet.

Labor promised that more than half of the new railcars for the expanded commuter network would be built in WA.

WA Labor claimed only 2 per cent of work on railcar contracts was currently done by local companies and wants to follow the lead of Victoria, where the figure is 60 per cent.

The Newspoll, taken exclusively for The Australian last week, showed that if an election were held today Labor would easily win the 10 seats needed to form government.