The head of a government drug advisory body that was to focus on ice just five months ago has backed Tony Abbott’s decision to assign the issue to a separate new taskforce.
The prime minister announced on Wednesday that the government would set up a “national ice taskforce” – headed by the former Victoria police chief Ken Lay – to examine all existing efforts and then recommend “a systematic, comprehensive and coordinated approach”.
In December, the assistant health minister, Fiona Nash, put ice on the agenda of the Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drugs, headed by the former Nationals MP Kay Hull.
“Tackling the growing ice problem is a major priority for the government and as a first step I will be asking our advisory council to look at this issue as their first work priority,” Nash said at the time.
Guardian Australia understands the taskforce will be asked to take into account input from the council.
Hull backed the “extremely positive” decision. She said the council had provided recommendations to the government about the ice issue, but such advice was confidential.
She said the council was a policy-driven committee that had a broad remit and provided advice to Nash and other ministers, whereas the dedicated taskforce would be able to conduct a thorough investigation into ice.
“We’re very supportive of this action,” she said.
Labor also supported the taskforce, but raised concerns about the Coalition’s broader record on health funding.
“The Abbott government’s last budget cut $197m out of the Department of Health’s flexible funds, which funds programs of national importance, including programs to combat drug and alcohol abuse,” said the opposition’s health spokeswoman, Catherine King.
The Greens senator Richard Di Natale said the taskforce should focus its attention on prevention, harm reduction and treatment rather than tougher law enforcement.
“I worked as a drug and alcohol clinician in a regional centre so I understand how damaging drugs can be for individuals, families and communities, but I also know that a strict law-and-order approach is often counterproductive,” he said.
Abbott has asked for a report by the end of June, and also flagged an advertising campaign on the dangers of ice.
He described the taskforce as an “urgent stocktake” designed to help the government understand “what is working, what is not working, and we get cracking with the things that are succeeding”.