By Josh Gordon
The Andrews government will set up an expert panel to consider a trial under which people caught with small quantities of drugs would automatically be issued a notice by police referring them to education or treatment.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Jaclyn Symes told Parliament that the government was not going to decriminalise drugs, but would instead look at bolstering the use of diversions and infringement notices under existing laws.
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On Wednesday, Ms Patten said she was taking the announcement of the trial as a step forward for drug law reform.
“For some reason, drug law reform is so difficult in Australia,” Ms Patten told ABC radio. “To get the government to the table to say they will bring health experts with police to look at other options to incarceration, to criminalisation, I have to take that as a positive step.”
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