CANBERRA, 20 FEBRUARY 2019 (ABC) – It was all smiles as the Prime Minister announced Australia will ease its limitations on kava imports — a drink popular among Pacific Islanders.
But when Scott Morrison returns home it’s likely he’ll have to confront the Indigenous Affairs Minister, who’s previously called for a national ban.
In 2015, Nigel Scullion went on a very public campaign for total prohibition on the grounds it causes harm to Indigenous communities.
“We accept people practicing their culture in this country, of course we do, but when it is perverted and redirected, and to harm our first Australians, it isn’t a right, it’s a privilege,” Senator Scullion said.
Senator Scullion also told the Australian newspaper in 2015 that he had urged Coalition colleagues to support an outright ban in the face of likely strong opposition from Pacific Islander communities.
He also said at the time that Tongans in particular were “abusing the privilege” of bringing in limited amounts of kava for personal use, and that much of what entered Australia was instead being sold on the black market.
“In fact, it hasn’t been for the cultural use of Pacific Islanders; it has been used for the abuse of the culture of our First Australians,” Senator Scullion said.
“It destroys lives, and often takes lives, and I think on balance it’s time that we now move to reconsider this leakage in our intention to prevent kava from coming to this country.
“We should now have a prohibition. Clearly, there should be no kava for sale in Australia. There should be no allowable amount in Australia, and we should recognise the vast damage that this is doing to Aboriginal people in Arnhem Land,” Senator Scullion told The Australian.
Northern Territory police say the majority of offenders who are caught trafficking kava into the NT are Pacific Islanders.
“The Northern Territory is in a unique situation as the North East Arnhem Land area is the only location in Australia that has the level of abuse of this substance or the criminal activity that supports the distribution, sale and misuse of kava,” a statement on NT police website reads.
Aboriginal leaders throughout Arnhem Land have been outspoken on the damage excessive kava consumption has had on Indigenous Australians, such as a zombie-like persona, and even sudden death.
Morrison said he did not want to see the importation of kava create problems for Indigenous communities, and that he believed the issue could be managed.
“I think we’ve just got to be practical about this.
“We’ll work up the details, we’ll be careful about how we proceed.
“We want to remove unnecessary obstacles to what is a valuable export market for Vanuatu.”
At the moment, people are allowed to bring up to 2 kilograms into Australia from Pacific Island nations for personal use.
“It’s a very modest amount that comes in [at the moment] which is hardly going to manage one family gathering in Western Sydney,” Morrison said.
But in the Territory, particularly in East Arnhem Land, a more rigorous regulatory process still remains.
Acting Health Minister Eva Lawler said “continuing to police a restriction on kava is an important part of this for some regions”.
“Kava has the potential to cause significant health and social issues, as we have seen in remote Territory communities in the past,” she said.
Kava comes from the root of a pepper plant, once crushed into a powder, it’s drunk with water for it’s relaxing and slightly numbing effect.
