The complete article can be found at: http://www.smh.com.au/news/9902/03/text/features2.html If anyone doesn't have web access and wants the whole article I will be happy to send it. See also the editorial: "Dead foolish, but still alive" at: http://www.smh.com.au/news/9902/03/text/editorial.html Trudy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ DRUGS AND POLITICS Damage control Date: 03/02/99 By JANE FREEMAN THIS time last week, the NSW Health Minister, Andrew Refshauge, was preparing for the upcoming State election, unaware that a very hot political potato was about to be tossed his way. The potato came in the form of a photograph in the Sun-Herald which showed a boy, allegedly aged 12 or 13, injecting heroin with a needle supplied by a needle exchange van in Caroline Lane, Redfern. By the time readers saw the picture on Sunday, however, it was old news for Refshauge. He first heard about the photograph at 9am last Friday. At 4.30pm, he dropped in to the Parliament House press gallery to see the photograph for himself. Reportedly, Refshauge turned visibly white, stared speechlessly for 45 seconds and then left, after saying it was "appalling" and he would get back to the paper with his reaction. Doubtless the minister knew then the Government was in trouble. Only weeks before the State election, here was a story about children and drugs that would be guaranteed to keep the talkback radio lines throbbing with indignation for days. The Health Minister and his advisers swung into damage control. Five hours of meetings and consultations later, Refshauge decided to suspend the Caroline Lane needle exchange and launch a statewide inquiry into the needle exchange program. At 10.30 the next morning, a van from head office rolled into Caroline Lane to tell the needle exchange van to pack up. By midday, the addicts were using second-hand needles. More at site.... ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
