Abbott urges Australians to dob in ice dealers

A Victorian Crime Stoppers campaign to dob in ice dealers will be expanded nationally after the federal government chipped in $1 million.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (centre)

PM Tony Abbott joined by Minister for Justice Michael Keenan (left) and Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash (right), inspects approximately 50kg of the drug ICE during a press conference in Sydney, Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2015. (AAP Image/Nikki Short) Source: AAP

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has ruled out financial rewards for people dobbing in ice dealers but hopes they will do so out of a sense of duty.

The federal government has allocated $1 million to Crime Stoppers to expand a Victorian "dob in a dealer" campaign nationally.
"We need to mobilise against drugs".
The campaign has led to a 400 per cent increase in drug tip-offs.

"We need to mobilise against drugs," Mr Abbott told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday.

He said lives were destroyed when people became enslaved to drugs and the federal government would do whatever it took to keep Australia safe.

Mr Abbott appealed to peoples' sense of duty to help tackle the scourge of ice.

"We're simply talking about giving more opportunity and encouragement to do the right thing by our community," he said.
Labor senator Sam Dastyari said the announcement smacked of a "desperate stunt" from a government looking for a distraction.

"I thought there already was a hotline where you dob in a dealer, and that hotline is triple-0," he told reporters in Sydney.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon described the measure as "window-dressing" unless safeguards such as witness protection were offered.
"Attacking the Mr Bigs of drugs, that's important."
Mr Abbott also signalled an announcement in coming weeks regarding laws on unexplained wealth.
"If for argument's sake, you are living in the lap of luxury, but your occupation is that which would not normally produce that kind of lifestyle - they're the sort of people that we need to have a good, hard look at," he said.

"Attacking the Mr Bigs of drugs, that's important."

Justice Minister Michael Keenan is working with states and territory governments to slap tougher penalties on addicts who assault frontline health staff.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world