Mrs BRAHAM - 2006-02-15
I am very pleased to see that you have announced the commencement of the Volatile Substance Abuse Prevention Act. It is my understanding that, as yet, we do not have a juvenile centre in Alice Springs, however there are negotiations going on. Can you give me an update on where we are up to with that? Where will the centre be? Who will be the service provider? What other centres or outstations around this centre will cater for these particular young children?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Braitling for her question. The government has committed capital works funds to upgrade Arrernte House in Alice Springs to be an adult petrol sniffing rehabilitation facility, because there were some community concerns about it being used as a juvenile facility because of its history. In understanding those concerns, we have awarded the adult petrol sniffing rehabilitation tender to DASA, which has already begun taking people in for treatment.
In addition, there were no tenders for the juvenile service so my agency has negotiated directly with two agencies to date: both DASA and ASYASS. They have juvenile beds available already. The intention is that once the capital works are finished in the coming months at Arrente House the adult service will move into Arrente House freeing up capacity at DASA for a juvenile service. There is continuing funding for a range of outstation programs at Ilpurla, Ipolera and Mt Theo, as we know. Everything is in place already to take rehabilitation patients in terms of petrol sniffing, and we will have a very good facility available at Arrernte House as soon as those capital works are undertaken in the coming months.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Braitling for her question. The government has committed capital works funds to upgrade Arrernte House in Alice Springs to be an adult petrol sniffing rehabilitation facility, because there were some community concerns about it being used as a juvenile facility because of its history. In understanding those concerns, we have awarded the adult petrol sniffing rehabilitation tender to DASA, which has already begun taking people in for treatment.
In addition, there were no tenders for the juvenile service so my agency has negotiated directly with two agencies to date: both DASA and ASYASS. They have juvenile beds available already. The intention is that once the capital works are finished in the coming months at Arrente House the adult service will move into Arrente House freeing up capacity at DASA for a juvenile service. There is continuing funding for a range of outstation programs at Ilpurla, Ipolera and Mt Theo, as we know. Everything is in place already to take rehabilitation patients in terms of petrol sniffing, and we will have a very good facility available at Arrernte House as soon as those capital works are undertaken in the coming months.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016