The highs and lows of Australia’s drug summits

Australia has experimented with drug summits for 40 years. They’ve come with highs and lows, writes ROSS FITZGERALD.

Australia’s first official meeting referred to as a “drug summit” was convened on April 2 1985 in Canberra by Bob Hawke, the then ALP prime minister.

Officially known as The Special Premiers’ Conference, Hawke met with the six state premiers and the NT Chief Minister – the ACT was not represented as this meeting took place before self government.

This meant that the heads of five Labor governments …

DRUG REFORM, POLICY, POLITICSAustralia’s experiment with drug summitsBy Ross FitzgeraldJan 24, 2025

Australia’s first official meeting referred to as a ‘drug summit’ was convened on 2 April 1985 in Canberra by Bob Hawke, the then ALP Prime Minister.

Officially known as ‘The Special Premiers’ Conference’, Prime Minister Hawke met with the six state Premiers and the Northern Territory Chief Minister. (The ACT was not represented as this meeting took place before the ACT had obtained self government).

This meant that the heads of five Labor governments met with the heads of three conservative …

Lyndal Moor Fitzgerald 1944-2020

Five years ago tomorrow, Wednesday January 22, my darling wife and friend of 45 years, Lyndal Moor, died of cancer in the Wolper Jewish Hospital in Sydney.

Each day I miss Lyndal’s luminous beauty, her honesty, and her laughter.

How lucky am I to have spent our lives together for so long? And how fortunate I am to have recently spent a fortnight in America with our darling daughter Emerald, our granddaughter Ava (8, my grandson River (3), and my son-in-law Adrian.

Few people know that Lyndal, who was 45 …

Five years ago, on Tuesday (January 22), my darling wife and friend of 45 years, Lyndal Moor, died of cancer in the Wolper Jewish Hospital in Sydney.

Each day I miss Lyndal’s luminous beauty, her honesty, and her laughter.

How lucky am I to have spent our lives together for so long? And how fortunate I am to have recently spent a fortnight in America with our darling daughter Emerald, our granddaughter Ava (8, my grandson River (3), and my son-in-law Adrian.

Few people know that Lyndal, who was 45 years sober when …

BARRY HUMPHRIES/ AUSTEN TAYSHUSby Professor Ross Fitzgerald AM

Since the death of my long-time friend, the comic genius Barry Barry Humphries, by far the most outrageously talented stand-up performer in Australia is the Sydney-based Jewish comedian, Austen Tayshus.

Indeed Barry told me that Austen Tayshus was the only contemporary comedian who made him gasp, before he laughed. In comparison, most other stand ups were, he said, “about as funny as an orphanage on fire!”

Last week I attended The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

With the exception of a Korean lesbian who’d had four …

Barry Humphries/Austen Tayshusby Ross Fitzgerald AM

Since the death of my long-time friend, the comic genius Barry Barry Humphries, by far the most outrageously talented stand-up performer in Australia is the Sydney-based Austen Tayshus.

Indeed Barry told me that Austen Tayshus was the only contemporary comedian who made him gasp, before he laughed.

Last week I attended The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

With the exception of a Korean lesbian who’d had four abortions, none of the stand ups who performed, for hours, were a patch on Austen Tayshus.

Anyone interested to learn about the …