Thu, 21 Oct 2004
New staff, equipment and money halves P backlog
ESR has halved the number of outstanding clandestine P lab cases
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Three new scientists, $650,000 for new equipment and improved laboratories and better liaison with the Courts and Police
are all paying off as the number of outstanding clandestine methamphetamine (P) laboratory cases being processed by ESR
is halved.
There are currently 89 cases awaiting processing, down from 180 at the beginning of the year. If current trends
continue, the backlog will be down to a normal caseload by 01 July 2005.
"This is a great result by ESR, and especially the new scientists that have recently joined the team from Canada and the
United States," said Minister for Crown Research Institutes, Pete Hodgson. "ESR's success reflects this government's
determination to get on top of the fight against the illicit drugs that do so much to destroy the lives of individuals
and damage our communities. This was underlined in May when the government announced $39 million over four years to
combat P."
The new equipment includes three state of the art testing machines; two gas chromatograph mass spectrometers and a
Fourier transformation infrared spectrophotometer. The first of these will put into the front line in the fight against
P by Pete Hodgson today.
ENDS