Hearing delayed by spill

THE final hearing in a Senate inquiry into the Australian Defence Force’s use of controversial antimalarial drugs has been postponed by a late change in committee members.

Liberal senator Eric Abetz was this week appointed to the committee examining the use of Quinoline antimalarial drugs Mefloquine and Tafenoquine in the ADF after two of his coalition colleagues were required to step down.

Senators David Fawcett and Linda Reynolds were no longer able to sit on the committee after their promotion to assistant ministry positions following last month’s Liberal leadership spill.

The last of three committee hearings was due to take place on September 14 in Canberra but has been delayed following the change. It comes as Federal Government representatives last week moved to assure concerned veterans the inquiry would not be derailed.

A new date for the Canberra hearing has not yet been set.

Last month in Townsville the committee heard harrowing accounts of possible physical and mental side- effects from the drug trials.

Herbert Labor MP Cathy O’Toole said it was “appalling” the committee hearing had been delayed because of the leadership spill.

“I would hope that a new date for the hearing that should have been on Friday in Canberra was set immediately,” she said.

“These veterans have been waiting to have their voices heard for a long time.”

Thousands of ADF personnel were included in clinical trials of the drugs between 2001 and 2003.