• Is the Minister familiar with the Choosing to use but wanna keep your head together drug education booklet for high school students, which was produced by the South West Area Health Service?
• How much of this material has been produced and at what cost? Where has it been distributed?
• Is the Government aware of the significant parental concerns that the booklet sends the wrong message to their vulnerable teenagers that some drugs are okay some of the time?
• Is the Government aware that the Chairman of the Australian National Council on Drugs has equated the message of the "Choosing to use" booklet to that of choosing Russian roulette?
• Will the Government consult with community agencies like the Australian National Council on Drugs and groups like We Help Ourselves, ex-drug users, to formulate appropriate material that encourages vulnerable teenagers to abstain from illegal drug use?

The Hon. John Hatzistergos: I can advise the House that this brochure is not widely distributed in New South Wales schools. I do not believe that the material is appropriate for distribution. The brochure was produced by the area health service and I support the decision of the Minister for Health to withdraw the brochure from any schools to which it may have been distributed.

I understand that the Minister for Health also has ordered a review of other drug education material produced for young people by the Health Service; I refer the House to her statement.

The Department of Education and Training has a range of programs in place that aim to educate students about the problems of drug misuse, and to assist students and their families where drug use has been identified.

Students from kindergarten to year 10 learn about the effects and harms of drugs in the personal development, health and physical education curriculum, which deal with a wide range of important health-related issues, including drug and alcohol use. Students also are provided with opportunities to learn and practice communication, problem solving and refusal skills, and to develop attitudes and values that promote a healthy lifestyle to help them make informed decisions about their lives, including drug use. The Crossroads course for students in years 11 and/or 12 focuses on drugs and relationships. The content of the course currently is being revised to ensure that it addresses issues relevant for this group of young people. Between 2000 and 2007, the Government provided resources to teach students about the dangers of drugs, including $1.5 million on a targeted cannabis education program in our schools.

The department has policies and procedures to manage incidents of drug use by students. Students will be suspended immediately if they are found to be using or in possession of a suspected illegal substance or having supplied a restricted substance. The policy on drugs and procedures for managing drug-related incidents in schools currently is being reviewed in consultation with the Parents and Citizens' Association and principals groups. School counsellors have been provided with additional training to help young people with alcohol and other drug problems, and are available to students who seek help. The Government also has allocated $1.2 million funding over four years to develop early-intervention initiatives for students with drug-use problems. We also are supporting students who have drug-use problems with $1.259 million being provided over four years for the continuation of the Ted Noffs Foundation Drug Counselling in Schools Program.