Moderator Faaimata (Mata) Havea Hiliau has joined other NSW faith leaders in calling on Premier Chris Minns to announce a date for a five day Parliamentary Drug Summit.
The Moderator observed that the drug summit was an election promise by the Mines Labor Government, which was elected on 25 March 2023.
“It was an election promise – and with a quarter of this parliamentary term nearly over we are concerned that weeks are turning to months and every day people are suffering from the harms caused by our unfair drug laws in NSW,” Rev. Havea Hiliau said.
“Drug reform in NSW is a life-or-death issue for some, literally.”
“We wrote to the NSW Premier in the spirit of unity and a shared commitment to the well-being of our communities and a belief in the inherent dignity and worth of every individual.
“It is with these principles in mind that we have come together to call on Premier Minns to urgently announce a 5-day Parliamentary Drug Summit this year,” Rev. Havea Hiliau said.
“As leaders of faith in our communities, we see the impact of drug dependency on individuals and their families every day,” CEO of Jewish House Rabbi Mendel Kastel said.
“We share a hope that people who are experiencing drug dependency will be able to access treatment and services when they seek help and that more treatment and support is funded and made available.
“We told the Premier that we understand that this issue does not stand alone. It is complex and multifaceted and intersects with other issues, such as mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, unemployment and poverty,” Rabbi Kastel said.
Major Kim Haworth, NSW/ACT Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army said “in the midst of this cost-of-living crisis we are concerned that more and more people will find themselves caught in a cycle of dependency with few treatment options and needless interactions with the criminal justice system – all of which we know can be disastrous for them, their families and our community.”
Signatories include Rev. Mata Havea Hiliau, Moderator of the Uniting Church NSW and the ACT, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, CEO of Jewish House, Fr. Peter Smith, Promoter of the Peace, Justice and Peace Office, Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, Abbas Raza Alvi, President of the Indian Crescent Society of Australia Inc. Rev. Dr Peter Stuart, Bishop of Newcastle Diocese, and Major Kim Haworth, NSW/ACT Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army.
A copy of the letter to the NSW Premier Chris Minns can be found here.
