Drink Driving & Drug Driving

ByJames O'Brien

I’m old enough to remember the introduction of the mid-70s advertising campaigns on television and the introduction of a much tougher approach to drink driving. Back then, it started off with a blood alcohol limit of 0.08, which was later lowered to 0.05, and I think for many younger Australians today, the expectation is firmly 0.0. Now, here in 2026, the focus has firmly shifted to drug driving.

Keeping with that theme, I went along to a really interesting public discussion on Thursday night at the Sherwood Hotel here in Lismore. They are running a series of casual bites and discussions in the pub covering a range of local and social issues.

The topic wasn’t really a debate as such, because pretty much everyone in the room was in furious agreement. The core consensus was that New South Wales and other states desperately need to reform their drug driving laws, particularly to account for the legalisation of medicinal cannabis.

One of the guest speakers was David Heilpern, a former magistrate and the current head of law at Southern Cross University. I used to speak with him regularly on the radio back in the day, though I don’t think we had ever actually met in person before tonight. Hearing his voice instantly brought back familiarity, so I made sure to go over, say hello, and introduce myself properly.

The Background and Proposed Reforms

The discussion focused heavily on the growing disconnect between modern medicine and roadside drug testing. Since medicinal cannabis was legalised federally in 2016, prescriptions have surged dramatically. However, under the current New South Wales drug presence framework (Section 111 of the Road Transport Act 2013), it remains an absolute strict-liability offence to drive with any detectable trace of THC in your system.

Because oral fluid tests detect presence rather than active impairment—and THC can linger in the body long after any therapeutic effect has worn off—patients taking their medicine legally under doctor’s orders have faced automatic licence disqualifications.

Drug driving panel at Lismore’s Sherwood Hotel

David drew a fair comparison to other common prescription medications, such as strong antidepressants or opioids, which can make people feel a bit spaced out or drowsy yet do not carry the same automatic roadside criminal penalty for mere presence.

The yarn eventually got into the details of the Minns Labor Government’s recently introduced Road Transport Legislation Amendment (Medical Cannabis and Driving Offences) Bill 2026.

Broader Context and Outlook

According to those who spoke, these proposed changes are designed to bring New South Wales more closely into line with states like Victoria and Tasmania—which have moved toward judicial discretion or specific legal defences—while remaining a step ahead of stricter jurisdictions like Queensland. Naturally, that sparked a good discussion about what cross-border differences mean for populations living right on the border, as many people in this area do.

According to the speakers, the reform stands a decent chance of getting through Parliament thanks to the support of Labor, the Greens, and the Legalise Cannabis Party. Of course, there’s opposition coming from the New South Wales Coalition and groups like the NRMA. Interestingly, though, the New South Wales Police Association reportedly supports the reform.

I didn’t dive too deeply into the nitty-gritty policy arguments myself since I don’t know enough about the science side of it, but it was a cracking evening and a brilliant initiative to participate in.

But as I watched the discussion, my eyes drifted upward to a piece of graffiti perched above a shop hoarding across the street. Lismore apparently has a bit of a heroin problem at the moment—though it would seem the locals were a touch hazy on the spelling.

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Melodifestivalen 2011 #4

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Love Generation
Love Generation

There’s a saying that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. It’s a saying I generally believe in, and part of the reason why I’ve been agonising for twenty-four hours about what to say about “Melodifestivalen #4”. Even though I watched it yesterday afternoon, it’s not until tonight that I’ve known what to say.

The problem was that none of the songs instantly connected with me. It wasn’t until a second viewing earlier tonight that I began to connect with any of the songs. In the end there’s two songs which I think are quite good. By a long shot, I liked “Dance Alone” by Love Generation, an all-girl group with shades of The Spice Girls. Beyond that, I half-liked Linda Bengtzing’s song “E det fel på mej” (“Is It Wrong Of Me”). Linda is a great Swedish schlager artist who just missed out on representing Sweden a couple of years ago in Eurovision with “Hur svårt kan det va” (“How Hard Can That Be?”. She lost to “Hero” by Charlotte Perrelli.

Beyond that, I thought it was slim pickings this week with far too many awful rock ballads – “Run” by Anders Fernette and “Leaving Home By Nicke Borg” – far too many half-arsed copy cats – “The Hunter” by “The Melody Club” had shades of former Swedish Eurovision entrant, “The Ark”, and “Better Or Worse” by Julia Alvgard was little more than karaoke – as well as the truly bizarre.

Lasse Stefanz
Lasse Stefanz

And by bizarre, I mean Lasse Stefanz singing “En Blick Och Nånting Händer” (“A Look And Something Happens”). Lasse Stefanz is a “country music inspired dansband” according to Wikipedia. From what I can see the Dansband phenomenon is quite big in Sweden – they’ve inspired a national tv show like Idol – which centres around a bunch of often middle-aged blokes doing cover versions. You could imagine them playing a RSL clubs in Australia on a Sunday afternoon. But somehow, they’ve reached greater heights in Sweden. “And why, I just don’t know” – to quote ABBA.

In the end, Linda Bengtzing made it through to the final, and so did Nicke Borg. Frankly, I can’t see either giving Eric Saade much competition in the final to represent Sweden at Eurovision this year. Hopefully, Love Generation might make it through to the final also via appearing in “Andra chansen” (the “another chance semi final”). So anyway, a bit disappointed again this week, especially compared with last week which was quite good.

In the end, I’ll leave you with “The Ark”. They were Sweden’s entry in Eurovision in 2007 with their glam-rock inspired stylings and a very catchy tune, “Not The Worrying Kind”. I’m more of a fan of their hit song last year, though.

Chess – The Musical (Again)

Chess – The Musical (Again)

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Having sat through the first half of “Chess” last night at Sydney’s Theatre Royal, I found myself repeating myself. “Chess”, the musical written by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice in the post-ABBA years, has been staged many times since the debut CD in 1984. The London Production had a good long run, and the Australian run went okay, but it totally bombed on Broadway.

Every time it’s been staged, it’s been slightly different. They’ve often re-ordered songs, added dialogue, and sometimes they’ve had different characters singing songs previously sung by others. Last night, for example, the song “Nobody’s Side” was at the show’s conclusion, rather than being a dramatic mid-show number. Last night I confided to my friends attending, I felt like I was attending “Chess – The IPod Shuffle Mix”, as it differed so dramatically from the original, and much-loved debut CD. Chess fan Angus, however, reassured me last nights was a “fairly standard modern production of Chess”.

Chess at Theatre Royal, Sydney

And that’s when I began repeating myself. Two and a half years ago, when I made a trip to West Ryde to see an amateur production of “Chess”, at the time concluding…

It occured to me the reason why “Chess” has had only limited success is that it spends too much time early in the piece talking about the game, the history, the politics, when actually it’s the love story and the personal motivations that are the most interesting. If I was doing a production I’d chop out most of the first half and begin with “1956 Budapest Is Rising” as it’s from then onwards that you understand so many of the motivations – both personal and political – that govern the action of the characters.

And to be honest I still think that’s the case.

I really hated the first half last night. It all started early in the piece during the song “Merano” (set in Italy) as the audience noticed the backdrop was actually the Paris skyline. I was also totally confused by what was happening, as the songs and scenes jumped around. The one saving grace was the performance of “Anthem” by the actor/singer who played Anatoly. He was excellent.

The second half, however, was much better. There was a more consistent plotline, and the cast sang well, even if the choreography was a little dodgy. The actor/singer who played Svetlana was very, very good, and we were all impressed upon discovering it was her stage musical debut.

Fundamentally, though, “Chess” needs another re-work. At the moment, it’s still far too inaccessible, with too many “b-sides” and superfluous content that distracts from the main story and the great songs contained therein. From what I’ve read, the most recent Swedish version (released 2002) probably comes closest to achieving that balance.

I really love “Chess” and I hope one day they finally get it right.

Joonba

Joonba, Junba, Juju

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I went to the opening tonight of a terrific exhibition – Joonba, Junba, Juju – currently on show at the University of Technology, Sydney.The exhibition, which is a joint effort between arts centres in the Kimberley, focuses on dance and the artefacts or props used in dance, like spears, boards, and masks, as well as videos and photographs.The opening night of the exhibition had several different joonba (an East Kimberley word for corroborree) and juju.

I recorded a brief report for the team at ABC Kimberley (Broome) which included Chris Griffiths from Waringarri Aboriginal Arts and Gija artist, Phyllis Thomas. They spoke about the importance of sharing traditions both within their own communities, as well as other communities around Australia.

Includes photographs by Catherine Croll.

Gaysia by Benjamin Law

Gaysia

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I was sitting at a local pub, drinking a beer, and reading the book, “Gaysia” by Benjamin Law. It’s a book about Ben’s experiences travelling throughout Asia and getting to know more about “gay life” in countries as diverse as Japan and India. Ben is Australian-born Chinese, and the whole idea behind the book, he says, was for him to get a better understanding of the kind of life he might have led if he, as a gay man, had grown up in Asia, not Australia.

The book covers just about every story you might imagine, some with humour, others with tenderness and poignancy. In Indonesia, for example, he struggles with going nude at a gay resort. In Thailand, he meets the contestants in a so-called “Lady-boy Beauty Contest”. In Japan, he reflects on the high rate and intensity of the pornography on sale, compared with the closeted lives many gays and lesbians must lead. In China, he meets gays and lesbians who marry each other in an effort to appease their parents, often leading to comical, farce-like activities. And in Malaysia, he meets a charismatic religious figure who grew up and lived as a gay man, who later married a woman, and then founded a religious organisation to “help” people “overcome” their homosexuality.

As sad and awful as all that sounded, it was the chapter about Burma/Myanmar that moved me the most, and brought me close to tears as I sat in my local pub on Sunday afternoon. I’d been trying to finish the book for a week or so, and so yesterday I decided I’d take myself to a quiet spot, leave the mobile phone at home, grab a beer and knock off the remaining three chapters.

I’m not sure why but I wasn’t quite prepared for the sadness I would feel in reading this chapter. Like most people, I knew about Aung San Suu Kyi and the human rights abuses, but that was about the full extent of my knowledge of the country. I didn’t know about the poverty, I didn’t know about the high rates of HIV, I didn’t know about the rape and abduction of children that can sometimes occur, and I didn’t know about the prostitution (particular underage prostituion often involving Western men) where you can “secure” someone for as little as sixty-five cents for an hour. Ben’s introduction to the country was thanks to a Medecins sans frontieres aid worker. MSF is an organisation I’ve supported financially for a number of years. I hope they’re doing good work there.

Despite the sadness of many of the stories, there are also moments of great humour where I laughed out loud. Ben writes well, and is a little Louis Theroux-like in the way he is both an observer and part of the story. One of the best, most interesting books I’ve read in quite a while.

Summer Arrived Briefly

It’s Saturday night and I have a rug on my knees. I don’t know exactly what happened to summer which appeared briefly earlier today, but winter isn’t quite over yet. As such, I’ve just woken up from a terrific afternoon nap. Since waking up I’ve been listening to a fantastic new CD which I picked up earlier today.

The last week has been reasonably busy with work-related activity.

The only other social engagement was the launch of Perth’s annual Pride Festival on Thursday night at the West Australian Museum. The launch was quite good except for two things: the bar service was too slow and the speeches were too long and too similar to each other. That said, the festival looks reasonably interesting and it’s bound to keep me off the streets – or perhaps on them – for the next couple of weeks.

Speaking of streets. I don’t know why but at the moment, the centre of Perth is one big construction site. In addition to the highly controversial railway project, there is a large number of major buildings under development. Although the Swan River colony was established in 1829, Perth is a relatively new city, and many of the locals have told me that the 1983 America’s Cup win really “made” Perth and Fremantle in particular. That said, although Fremantle has some wonderful well-preserved old buildings, the same can’t be said for Perth. It wouldn’t surprise me if most of the buildings in the CBD had been built in the last twenty years. Or maybe I have it all wrong?

The next few weeks will be reasonably interesting with Sue, Colin and Damien all paying a visit to Perth. I have also applied for a job in Sydney – a promotion – and have been told to keep September 23 and 23 free for a trip home for an interview, though it hasn’t been confirmed yet. The only plan I have at this stage, aside from hopefully getting a fabulous new job, is dinner with Damien on Sunday night. Damien arrives here at the end of October and, after he spends a few days at Margaret River, we’re heading up to Broome.

Actually, I am a little homesick at the moment and I’m not sure if it’s been enhanced or worsened by listening to a CD called, Bondi Calling 2. compiled by Andy Glitre who I first remember hearing on Triple J in the late 1980s. In my Perth bedroom with a blanket over my knees, I am transported momentarily to Bondi RSL on a warm Sunday afternoon or to the Opera Bar at Sydney Opera House in the midst of summer. Yes. This CD is Sydney! In the same way that “Sunny” takes me to the warm, great-feeling Sydney of summer, another track, “Just” by Aya Larkin transports me to that other Sydney that people don’t wish to acknowledge exists, the artsy, intelligent reflective Sydney that you find at pubs in Newtown or acoustic nights as “The Basement”. On a weekend in which I’m feeling a little homesick for Sydney, I can’t decide if listening to this CD is such a good idea.

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