Mr KURRUPUWU - 2014-05-07
How many people have been placed in AMT, how many have successfully completed the program and how much has been spent on AMT to date?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for his question. We have been running the alcohol mandatory treatment program in the Northern Territory for just over nine months; it started on 1 July. As of the end of March, 300 people have been through our treatment program, which is quite a success.
It is no secret that we have had problems, particularly with the medi-hotel in Darwin. It it not an ideal facility, and we are very keen to move to the Berrimah site as soon as it becomes available, hopefully in July or August next year. I do not have the precise amount of money we have spent on this program in front of me, but I can take that on notice for the member for Arafura. We have spent less than was forecast, which is primarily because we have not been able to use all of the beds in the medi-hotel. There are 100 beds in the Darwin alcohol mandatory treatment facility, known as the medi-hotel.
Because of risk points around the facility, the clinicians - managers of the facility - have not been able to use the 100 beds or operate at the capacity we thought we would be able to.
However, the Alice Springs alcohol treatment program has been running extremely well. We have had two extremes in our experiences, which is not a reflection on the people who have been working in the system. We have had some brilliant clinicians and managers working with us, but it is a matter of circumstance that Darwin has had its fair share of problems and Alice Springs has been successful.
We have used CAAAPU, the Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes Unit, which is a long-standing Aboriginal non-government organisation operating alcohol residential treatment in Alice Springs. It has run our program in Alice, and I think that has had a lot to do with its success. They know what they are doing; they have treatment programs in place and we were able to come off the back of their wealth of experience and commitment.
Again, I thank the member for his question. I will come back with a figure for him later, perhaps during Question Time, but this is still evolving. In the next 12 months we will have a treatment program in Tennant Creek and Katherine, then we hope to move on to remote areas and provide outreach programs, servicing people who live outside the urban centres.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for his question. We have been running the alcohol mandatory treatment program in the Northern Territory for just over nine months; it started on 1 July. As of the end of March, 300 people have been through our treatment program, which is quite a success.
It is no secret that we have had problems, particularly with the medi-hotel in Darwin. It it not an ideal facility, and we are very keen to move to the Berrimah site as soon as it becomes available, hopefully in July or August next year. I do not have the precise amount of money we have spent on this program in front of me, but I can take that on notice for the member for Arafura. We have spent less than was forecast, which is primarily because we have not been able to use all of the beds in the medi-hotel. There are 100 beds in the Darwin alcohol mandatory treatment facility, known as the medi-hotel.
Because of risk points around the facility, the clinicians - managers of the facility - have not been able to use the 100 beds or operate at the capacity we thought we would be able to.
However, the Alice Springs alcohol treatment program has been running extremely well. We have had two extremes in our experiences, which is not a reflection on the people who have been working in the system. We have had some brilliant clinicians and managers working with us, but it is a matter of circumstance that Darwin has had its fair share of problems and Alice Springs has been successful.
We have used CAAAPU, the Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes Unit, which is a long-standing Aboriginal non-government organisation operating alcohol residential treatment in Alice Springs. It has run our program in Alice, and I think that has had a lot to do with its success. They know what they are doing; they have treatment programs in place and we were able to come off the back of their wealth of experience and commitment.
Again, I thank the member for his question. I will come back with a figure for him later, perhaps during Question Time, but this is still evolving. In the next 12 months we will have a treatment program in Tennant Creek and Katherine, then we hope to move on to remote areas and provide outreach programs, servicing people who live outside the urban centres.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016