In the spotlight today
Hon Peter Dunne's Opening Address at Cutting Edge National Conference – 2009-09-10 09:52:08.487
Te Papa, Wellington
9.30am, Thursday 10 September 2009
Kia ora tatou!
Thank you to the Tangata Whenua for the very warm welcome.
Thank you, Tim, for your introduction.
Welcome to the many distinguished guests, and welcome everyone!
I am delighted to be here today to open the National Cutting Edge Conference.
As Associate Minister of Health I have a range of responsibilities, including many of the so-called vices – alcohol, other drugs, and gambling.
However, I have long had an interest in the impacts that each and all of these have on individuals and families.
In part, this comes from the time I spent working for ALAC on alcohol related issues, which was certainly of influence in shaping my views on these issues.
All too often we are confronted in our own lives, or in the media, or when meeting with others, with real-life stories of the lost potential of young people, of fathers, or of parents, to be the kind of people they want to be because of their problematic use of alcohol and other addictions.
I therefore welcome the report, Alcohol in our Lives, from the Law Commission.
Sir Geoffrey Palmer and his team have done a great job in bringing together in one report so many of the issues surrounding the availability and access to alcohol, and its effects on New Zealand society.
The discussion document outlines a range of options available to address alcohol-related issues in New Zealand.
It provides some indication of the Law Commission’s preliminary ideas on the options it will recommend in its final report.
There has already been plenty of discussion raised by the report and there will be plenty more to follow.
My own view on the recommendations is that such a comprehensive review of policy options is overdue, and that there is genuine debate to be had on all of the issues.
We can all agree, however, that a primary objective of the law should be to reduce the harm from alcohol use, whether it is the immediate health harms, such as alcohol poisoning, violence and injury, and the longer-term health harms, such as liver disease and a range of cancers.
I am particularly supportive of giving local authorities more responsibility and being more accountable for the licensing of on-site premises and off-site sales in their communities.
I have long believed that liquor licences should not just be easy to get, but should also be easy to lose.
As you might expect, as Minister of Revenue I am very interested in the proposals increasing excise tax on alcohol, but reducing it for low-alcohol products.
I am also aware, of course, that any increase in alcohol taxation has to serve a purpose, and not just be because it feels like a good thing to do.
The report also usefully raises issues regarding treatment, which is of particular interest to my fellow Associate Minister of Health, Dr Jonathan Coleman.
My view on the place of alcohol in our society is a straight-forward one.
For the majority of people, alcohol will never be an issue in their lives, so our focus must be on enabling the majority to continue to enjoy alcohol responsibility while at the same time mitigating the adverse impacts on the minority and our communities generally.
As a nation we have the opportunity to develop legislation that reflects that balance, sends clear signals about what is socially desirable, and above all else, is workable.
Later this year the Law Commission will release a parallel report on the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Drug abuse is a significant contributor to poor health outcomes in New Zealand, and more needs to be done through public education campaigns to highlight the risks of substance abuse.
If the Sale of Liquor Act that had its origins in the late 1980s is out of date – as it is – then the Misuse of Drugs Act, which dates from 1975, is long past its use-by date, so I am looking forward to the Commission’s proposals for change, as we modernise this legislation.
One area crying out for attention is the criminal justice sector.
For obvious reasons, I support increased funding of drug, alcohol and mental health treatment for prison inmates and those in the criminal justice sector.
At the same time, I do not under-estimate the challenges that are required to significantly build the capacity of addiction treatment sector.
And it is in the area of drug issues that I am delighted to be releasing a very important publication – Drug Driving in New Zealand: A Survey of Community Attitudes, Experience and Understanding.
This is the product of some excellent research from its authors, the New Zealand Drug Foundation, and I can only commend this document and give a vote of thanks to the foundation’s Executive Director Ross Bell and his team.
This document is an important contribution on a critical issue.
As someone opposed to decriminalising cannabis, I note the report’s conclusion about the significance of cannabis in drug-driving.
I am also very pleased to note that this year’s conference includes sessions on problem gambling.
Some of you may be aware that the Ministry has recently consulted with the public on the Ministry's integrated strategy for preventing and minimising gambling harm.
The strategy sees an increased emphasis on developing closer links between the problem gambling and AOD sectors – which is a common sense approach given the body of research illustrating considerable co-existing problems for clients within these fields.
Conferences such as this are also opportunities to learn about new techniques and treatments, and to consider innovations.
I do not really want to mention the “R” word, the recession, but all sectors need to be considering how we can do more with what we already have.
We cannot layer new programmes on top of existing programmes, nor can we continue to set up projects around the country that never quite make it beyond the pilot stage.
A question in my own mind is how we achieve the right balance of services, given that there is a whole range of treatment required from detox, to one on one counselling, group sessions, and residential services.
How do we demonstrate value for money?
I am sure that George De Leon will have a view, as will others.
I am aware that there has been discussion for some time within the sector about the future of the addiction treatment workforce.
These discussions have underlined the concerns you have about your workforce, and the issues it faces.
They relate to whether there are sufficient addiction treatment workers right now, and whether we can supply enough experienced and qualified people to meet the increasing demand coming from various sectors.
I am aware that various workforce reports and strategies have been produced, some modelling undertaken and a variety of conclusions drawn.
But the issues are more complex than simply looking at the statistics and future number projections.
The health workforce as a whole has been identified as being under pressure to deliver sufficient supply for the future health needs of the population.
Occasions like this where you come together are important opportunities to advance your collective thinking, and to test ideas.
There are important questions to help us understand what influences people to become, and to stay, part of the addiction treatment workforce.
One way to increase the addiction workforce is to get other parts of the Health sector, and indeed other sectors to have a better understanding of addiction treatment and what part they can play in providing assessments and brief interventions.
There are opportunities to discuss the sorts of competencies that workers need to have whether working with people with substance addictions, such as alcohol, other drugs, and tobacco or behavioural addictions, such as problem gambling.
You are not alone in facing these issues.
Other professions are also confronting the same realities.
The Minister of Health, Tony Ryall, recently announced his intention to have a more unified approach to health workforce planning.
I share his view that at present workforce planning has been disjointed, and that there are longstanding issues to be addressed.
There is still much work to be done, and it remains to be seen just how this will affect programmes such as Matua Raki, the national addiction workforce development programme.
In closing, I can see that there is much to be discussed.
At the beginning of this address, I mentioned my time spent at ALAC.
From those days, I remember much of the time spent listening to passionate debates about what can be done, what should be done, and what Government needs to do.
I expect that nothing has changed in that respect.
My impression of the addiction treatment sector has always been one where feelings run deep, often based on personal experiences, and very much focused on helping people.
Your sector is one where the passion of individuals is powerful and enduring, day in and day out, and the commitment and dedication to the wellbeing of your clients is outstanding.
Whatever the circumstances, you can be relied on to do what you can to assist your clients and those near and dear to them.
I salute you with unbridled admiration for that.
In closing, I wish all delegates a very interesting, a very useful, and a very successful conference.
ends.
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