MediNat Australia

Privacy Intrusions and When Drug Testing in Australia National Law Review 19 May 2015 There has been a long running battle in Australia about whether an employer, when testing for drug use, can ask employees to provide a urine sample. Many unions have resisted the introduction of urine testing, arguing that saliva testing is sufficient and, as such, the process of sampling urine is an unjustified invasion of privacy. Employers, however, want to have both methods available, arguing that saliva testing has recognised limitations. Last month, the Fair Work Commission ( Commission ) sided with an employer by granting them the right to perform both saliva and urine testing on its employees for drug use. More...........

Staying drug-safe at work By Staff Writers - Government News Continued recreational drug use in Australia presents an urgent challenge for local governments to show leadership to ensure all their staff have a safe workplace, according to testing expert Michael White. A recent United Nations report on worldwide drug use showed that, per capita, Australia has the highest rates of dangerous and illicit drug use in the world. In effect, Australians are the world’s highest users of Ecstasy, Ice and Cannabis, and many of those drug-using Australians work in local government jobs. The variety of potentially dangerous roles carried out by local government employees is of significant concern to Michael White, who says that local governments need to get serious about drugs in the workplace, and develop procedures and protocols to ensure local government worksites are drug-safe. “Council workers are driving trucks, operating heavy machinery, in charge of roadside mowers, bu

Battling Ice Addiction See the Today Tonight article here if you haven't already seen it: http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/latest/article/-/16141654/battling-ice-addiction/ So often we think it is someone else, far removed from our lives, our family our workplace! Reality is quite the opposite as with all drug use, there is someone in your circle (statistically) that is using illicit drugs, or has a problem with drug use in some form, and I am not excluding alcohol from the latter! The article produced by Today Tonight is a well balanced portrayal of the reality of drug use, parental anguish and the recovery process. My issue is with the prevalence of the drug Ice (Methamphetamines) in Australian society. Quote:  Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana says "ice is really what's creating the greatest concerns to us in terms of harm out on the streets in the moment and in the home." He says "ice has been around for a long time