Ms FINOCCHIARO - 2013-12-04
The Country Liberals government is proud to have rolled out a ground-breaking and unprecedented system that is treating some of the most vulnerable and chronically ill people in the Territory. Can you please outline what is planned for phase two of the program?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. We are extremely proud of this bold new initiative that has been rolled out by the Country Liberals government in just 15 months. It took the opposition, the former Labor government, 10 years to come up with the Banned Drinker Register, which failed on all accounts.
It did not stop people from drinking. The rivers of grog still flowed with the Banned Drinker Register in place. That is why we took the initiative, on coming to government, dumping the Banned Drinker Register and implementing a strategy based on addressing the demand for alcohol. Unlike the former Labor government, which was obsessed with supply strategies, we are obsessed with a balanced perspective. The Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Program is about addressing a very serious problem of chronic alcoholism across the Northern Territory. We are very proud we have been able to do that successfully ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Your doctor quit, violence is up, trade is the same, but you are failing …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, that is not a point of order, sit down!
Mr Gunner: When will you admit you are failing?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, you are on a warning!
Mrs LAMBLEY: We have rolled the program out across the Northern Territory - Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs, soon to be Tennant Creek and Gove. We have a 100-bed facility in Darwin called the medi-hotel, which will be going back to its original purpose in August/September next year. We will move to the Berrimah low security unit and embrace the opportunity to set up a much more suitable facility …
Ms Lawrie: Flying people from Katherine to Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw her last assertion or proceed by way of a substantive motion.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of Government Business, I did not hear anything. I was listening to the minister.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I am happy to withdraw that you are flying people from Katherine to Darwin, even though that is what is happening.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, you have withdrawn.
Mrs LAMBLEY: I do not expect to hear anything positive from the opposition about our alcohol mandatory treatment program because they are fixated on the past and their failed initiative. We have done something new, bold, and courageous which is showing results at this very early stage.
In just three months, over 100 people had gone through the alcohol mandatory treatment program. A handful of them, at that stage, were progressing back into the community, transitioning into community care.
Next year is an exciting year. It continues the phase two roll-out of the program. You will see more beds in Alice Springs, the set-up of a new facility in Tennant Creek, and a new facility in Katherine will be well under way, if not up and running.
We make no apologies for what we have done in this space. As I have said several times before in this Chamber, we are identifying the most disadvantaged people in our community who are suffering from chronic diseases and chronic alcohol problems. These people are now undergoing care and medical treatment as we have never seen before, as they have never experienced before.
The whole community is embracing this new initiative. Our former critics are now praising us. They are saying, ‘We want to get on board, we want to be a part of it’. Even former members of the Labor Party are saying, ‘We agree, we can see this is a good initiative’. Alcohol mandatory treatment is something we are proud of and we will continue to update this parliament on its progress.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. We are extremely proud of this bold new initiative that has been rolled out by the Country Liberals government in just 15 months. It took the opposition, the former Labor government, 10 years to come up with the Banned Drinker Register, which failed on all accounts.
It did not stop people from drinking. The rivers of grog still flowed with the Banned Drinker Register in place. That is why we took the initiative, on coming to government, dumping the Banned Drinker Register and implementing a strategy based on addressing the demand for alcohol. Unlike the former Labor government, which was obsessed with supply strategies, we are obsessed with a balanced perspective. The Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Program is about addressing a very serious problem of chronic alcoholism across the Northern Territory. We are very proud we have been able to do that successfully ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Your doctor quit, violence is up, trade is the same, but you are failing …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, that is not a point of order, sit down!
Mr Gunner: When will you admit you are failing?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, you are on a warning!
Mrs LAMBLEY: We have rolled the program out across the Northern Territory - Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs, soon to be Tennant Creek and Gove. We have a 100-bed facility in Darwin called the medi-hotel, which will be going back to its original purpose in August/September next year. We will move to the Berrimah low security unit and embrace the opportunity to set up a much more suitable facility …
Ms Lawrie: Flying people from Katherine to Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw her last assertion or proceed by way of a substantive motion.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of Government Business, I did not hear anything. I was listening to the minister.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I am happy to withdraw that you are flying people from Katherine to Darwin, even though that is what is happening.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, you have withdrawn.
Mrs LAMBLEY: I do not expect to hear anything positive from the opposition about our alcohol mandatory treatment program because they are fixated on the past and their failed initiative. We have done something new, bold, and courageous which is showing results at this very early stage.
In just three months, over 100 people had gone through the alcohol mandatory treatment program. A handful of them, at that stage, were progressing back into the community, transitioning into community care.
Next year is an exciting year. It continues the phase two roll-out of the program. You will see more beds in Alice Springs, the set-up of a new facility in Tennant Creek, and a new facility in Katherine will be well under way, if not up and running.
We make no apologies for what we have done in this space. As I have said several times before in this Chamber, we are identifying the most disadvantaged people in our community who are suffering from chronic diseases and chronic alcohol problems. These people are now undergoing care and medical treatment as we have never seen before, as they have never experienced before.
The whole community is embracing this new initiative. Our former critics are now praising us. They are saying, ‘We want to get on board, we want to be a part of it’. Even former members of the Labor Party are saying, ‘We agree, we can see this is a good initiative’. Alcohol mandatory treatment is something we are proud of and we will continue to update this parliament on its progress.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016