Mr KURRUPUWU - 2013-10-16
We have heard of early success being achieved in our alcohol mandatory treatment system. How has the change of government in Canberra helped matters?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for his question. The recent change in the federal government has meant a marked difference to how we roll out and manage our alcohol mandatory treatment program. One of the great disappointments over the last six months for me has been dealing with the former minister Jenny Macklin, trying to get income management as part of our Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Program.
Most people in this Chamber will remember, with the former government’s Banned Drinker Register and Alcohol Court, the federal government minister Macklin allowed the use of income management. This meant people could be placed on up to 70% income management, or 70% of their income being placed on a BasicsCard.
We felt it was perfectly rational and reasonable to expect minister Macklin would provide our system, our policy, our Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Program, with the same income management provision. I had many conversations with minister Macklin around this and she denied us the use of it. She would not acknowledge we are a new government with a new direction, new policies and new priorities. For that, I feel extremely disappointed. Minister Macklin played politics with the people of the Northern Territory. She used this as a way of trying to diminish and set this new system up to fail for the new Country Liberals government. That was a milestone to me in realising not everyone plays ball nicely.
However, with a new Coalition government we have a new federal Minister for Social Services, Kevin Andrews, who is allowing our Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Tribunal to use income management. I have negotiated that, and he confirmed it was fine for us to use it last week. I am yet to have a direct conversation with him; probably within the next couple of days I will do so. He did not hesitate to say yes.
At the moment, once these people leave alcohol mandatory treatment, they will have several thousand dollars in their bank account at their disposal that is not income managed at all. These people have chronic alcohol problems and could spend it all on alcohol. The temptation for some people will be too much. Under income management, 70% will be quarantined on the BasicsCard and not available for them to buy alcohol.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for his question. The recent change in the federal government has meant a marked difference to how we roll out and manage our alcohol mandatory treatment program. One of the great disappointments over the last six months for me has been dealing with the former minister Jenny Macklin, trying to get income management as part of our Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Program.
Most people in this Chamber will remember, with the former government’s Banned Drinker Register and Alcohol Court, the federal government minister Macklin allowed the use of income management. This meant people could be placed on up to 70% income management, or 70% of their income being placed on a BasicsCard.
We felt it was perfectly rational and reasonable to expect minister Macklin would provide our system, our policy, our Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Program, with the same income management provision. I had many conversations with minister Macklin around this and she denied us the use of it. She would not acknowledge we are a new government with a new direction, new policies and new priorities. For that, I feel extremely disappointed. Minister Macklin played politics with the people of the Northern Territory. She used this as a way of trying to diminish and set this new system up to fail for the new Country Liberals government. That was a milestone to me in realising not everyone plays ball nicely.
However, with a new Coalition government we have a new federal Minister for Social Services, Kevin Andrews, who is allowing our Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Tribunal to use income management. I have negotiated that, and he confirmed it was fine for us to use it last week. I am yet to have a direct conversation with him; probably within the next couple of days I will do so. He did not hesitate to say yes.
At the moment, once these people leave alcohol mandatory treatment, they will have several thousand dollars in their bank account at their disposal that is not income managed at all. These people have chronic alcohol problems and could spend it all on alcohol. The temptation for some people will be too much. Under income management, 70% will be quarantined on the BasicsCard and not available for them to buy alcohol.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016