Friday, 14 August 2026

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:33): (1426) My question is for the Minister for Mental Health, Minister Stitt, acknowledging that she has been on her feet all day. In October 2025 you tabled a response to the inquiry into the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Regulation of Personal Adult Use of Cannabis) Bill 2023. Recommendation 1 of that report recommends that the Victorian government:

draw on the experience of the ACT, in successfully decriminalising the cultivation and possession of small quantities of cannabis for personal use with its associated health, social and legal benefits …

At the time of the response the government did not support this recommendation. However, recently the new Premier Ben Carroll said in the Guardian that he was open to decriminalising cannabis, recognising the harms caused to First Nations people, young people and lower income Victorians. Can the minister please advise if the government is reconsidering the response to this inquiry, including considering accepting recommendation 1 of the report?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Special Minister of State) (12:34): Thank you for your question, Ms Payne, and also your ongoing engagement around these issues. We have had many conversations over this term of the Parliament on these matters, and of course it will come as no shock to you that we do take these complex matters seriously. We want to always look at ways that we can take a harm minimisation approach when it comes to our government’s policies around alcohol and drug use in our state. Our government acknowledges the experience of the ACT in decriminalising the cultivation and the possession of small quantities of cannabis for personal use, and those matters were detailed quite extensively in the committee’s report. I thank you, from Legalise Cannabis, and other members of that committee for that important work, but our government have no plans to decriminalise use and possession at this time.

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:35): I thank the minister for her response. By way of supplementary, the Parliamentary Budget Office costed the time spent policing personal possession of cannabis in 2024–25 – that is, an individual who is found to have less than 50 grams of cannabis on person – at 56,800 hours, which is equivalent to 27 full-time employed police officers working 40 hours per week. We have also seen this week the government announce a commitment to more Victorian police and PSOs to manage the crime wave in Victoria. Considering that 80 per cent of the Victorian population feel that the personal possession of cannabis should not be considered a criminal offence and police time and resources could be better utilised on serious and violent crime, will the minister commit to working with the Minister for Police to remove criminal penalties for personal use of cannabis so that police can get on with their jobs focusing on serious crime?

The PRESIDENT: I think that might be more relevant for the Minister for Police, but the minister will answer as she sees fit.

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Special Minister of State) (12:36): I thank Ms Payne for her supplementary question, and I will point you to the response the government made in respect to Legalise Cannabis’s inquiry into the bill. We obviously have already undertaken, in the government response, to continue to consider options to improve drug diversion programs in relation to low-level drug use and possession, and that remains our position.