No breathalysers for MPs: Della Bosca

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A proposal for NSW politicians to be breath tested before they vote on legislation in parliament has been dismissed by state Health Minister John Della Bosca.

Under the proposal, breath-test kits would be made available on a voluntary basis to MPs wanting to check their blood alcohol levels before they turn up for late night votes, The Daily Telegraph says.

The idea has received support from Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell, Greens MPs Lee Rhiannon and John Kaye and Speaker Richard Torbay, it says.

But Mr Della Bosca opposed the plan on Thursday, saying "random breath testing is inappropriate for certain types of workplaces".

"My view is that you should always be sober, and careful and clear-headed on the job, especially in a job like parliament, (or) the judiciary," he told Macquarie Radio.

"You need to be very restrained in your habits, or abstaining altogether."

Mr Della Bosca said that in his ten years in parliament he had "very seldom" seen MPs in the house who had had too much to drink.

"I'd like to say never," he said.

However, he defended MPs of all stripes, saying most worked hard for their electorates.

"The vast majority of people are here, and out in their electorates, working hard trying to do their best for the people of NSW," he said.

"Frankly, it is a bit sad that the good work done by a lot of people representing parliament is undermined by a few bad practices."

Premier Nathan Rees has also refused his support for breath testing, saying MPs were adults and needed to be responsible for their actions.

Labor backbencher Jason Clare said no one working in parliament should be under the influence of alcohol.

"Whether it is the whole building, whether it is the politicians, the people that work here, the press gallery, no one should be under the influence of alcohol when they are working, doing business in this building," he said.

Meanwhile, federal coalition frontbencher Tony Abbott says breath testing members of parliament is a sign of moral panic in society.

"We have too many moral panics in our society," Tony Abbott said.

Instances of bad behaviour were rare, sometimes occurring after late-night sittings and end-of-year parties, he said.

"They are not absolutely unknown in this parliament and we have got to see it all in perspective."

Fellow Liberal Stuart Robert said he had no problem at all with any citizen being breath tested or drug tested at any time.

"No one is above the law. Everyone has a responsibility to be drug free and to be drink-driving free," he told reporters.

Rail workers have also weighed in on the debate, saying NSW politicians should impose stringent drug and alcohol testing measures on themselves.

The Rail Bus and Tram Union (RTBU) said if its members were forced to undergo testing, so too should those in charge of the state.

"All rail workers are subjected to random drug and alcohol tests, an infringement on their personal lives that they are told is necessary due to the safety critical nature of their work," RTBU secretary Nick Lewocki said.

"But driving the state is every bit as safety critical, and decisions our politicians make on issues as diverse as health, education and transport policy do affect public lives," he said.

The breath testing proposal follows the forced resignation of Nationals MP Andrew Fraser from the opposition's front bench after he pushed Nationals MP Katrina Hodgkinson during a heated exchange he was having with Labor MP John Aquilina in the lower house on Tuesday night.