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The terms of reference for this inquiry •immediate access to methadone in prison;
can be found on page 6. •availability of prescription heroin as a
The Committee is given the ‘Terms of treatment option;
Reference’ which identify the specific •alternative options apart from prison if
areas to be looked into. Once the terms
“ WH AT IS A of reference have been announced, the you’re busted for drug use
committee invite the Victorian people,
PAR LIAME NTARY businesses and organisations (like Harm Write to the Committee and tell them
Reduction Victoria) and experts (e.g. re- how the current laws and/or lack of
IN Q U IRY ? searchers, doctors, and YOU) to write in services affect you.
and tell the committee what they think
.... A N D WHY S HO ULD about the issue(s). H OW TO WR I T E A SU B M IS S I O N
Sometimes, committees invite the public If you’re not sure what to do or how
I C A R E ?! ” to attend one of their meetings (a public to go about writing a submission to
hearing) to talk with the members. the Parliamentary Inquiry, you can
Committees may also visit places of come into HRVic and we will help you
interest to help them make a decision. put your thoughts into words and your
Committee members read and discuss words onto paper. Then we’ll print it off,
B Y I T’ S VE R Y D E F INI T I O N AN the various submissions, and then write you can sign it andyou/we can post or
IN Q U IR Y S IMP LY ME AN S : a report to Parliament, based on what email it to the Committee with/for you.
“ T HE S E E K IN G O R L O O K IN G they’ve read, heard, seen and discussed. Or you can write it up and drop it off,
F O R TR U TH , I N F O R M ATI O N , HRVic is happy to send it with our
O R K NO W L E D G E . ” SU B M IS S I O N S submission to the Committee for you.
Governments hold inquiries on As part of an inquiry, a committee
heaps of different issues. Inquiries help usually asks for written submissions Check out the below link for details on
the parliament make decisions and from anyone that the topic or subject of how to put together a submission:
they are a way of getting the public the inquiry may affect, addressing the http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/im-
involved. terms of reference ages/stories/WrittenSubmissionA4_2.
Requests for the submissions can be pdf
advertised and are also usually published And keep an ear out for HRVic’s
on the government‘s website, along with
T H E CO M M I T T E E the closing dates for submissions and Submission Writing Workshops-coming
The government decides what updates on the inquiry’s progress. soon.
issue(s) need to be investigated and If you need more time to lodge your
they form or decide on a Committee submission, you need to contact the T H E R EP O R T
made up of politicians (from different secretary of the relevant committee. The report includes recommendations
political parties) to look into it. for the government which may suggest
The committee is basically a group of Topics up for discussion include but are changes to policy, laws and services.
select people picked to look at the not limited to: The Committee will report to the
evidence and information about a •more needle/syringe programs (NSP) across Parliament after reading and taking
subject or topic. the State; in all the submissions sent to them by
The main purpose of a parliamentary •improved access to naloxone to reverse 3 March 2017.
committee is to examine relevant opiate overdoses;and save lives
information about its area of interest •legal access to quality glass bongs and ice WHY SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE
or expertise- in this case, Illicit(illegal) pipes; AND CONTRIBUTE?
substances and prescription medicine. •more chemists dispensing methadone/sub- This Committee really wants to hear
oxone and more doctors prescribing metha- from you – the people that the laws
T ER M S O F R EF ER EN C E done;/suboxone impact, the people who can’t get the
Most inquiries have terms of •access to pill/drug testing; services they want and need, the
reference(TOR). •ability to legally give your mate one of your people who want to use their drugs as
The terms of reference is a fancy, clean needles/syringes; safely as possible.
shmancy way of saying ‘things to be looked •access to drug consumption rooms for
at’ or ‘matters to be considered’ by the smoking and/or injecting YO U.
committee.

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