Otherwise, it will increasing overwhelm police and the judiciary with the crime it creates.

Magistrate John Murphy, who will preside over the Wodonga court for the final time today, says urgent action is a must.

He’s someone who knows, having spent 34 years on the bench — 21 of those years in the North East.

It is not the first time he has spoken out about the wave of drug crime that has washed across the nation with the spread of ice.

He wants a cross-border police taskforce created to tackle a drug scourge he says is “far worse” than anything he has seen in his time as a magistrate.

Federal Liberal MP Sharman Stone first raised the issue in February during a national inquiry into drug law reform.

Urging police to work together is a fine idea but it must go further — governments must stand united.

It is essential there be a bipartisan approach to using existing resources to fight the problem. The state borders cannot be allowed to be barriers.

Mr Murphy’s call for more services to break the cycle that sees addicts in and out of jail must also be heard.