Page 4001 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 September 2017
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(c) that the Government has come up with a model of service delivery suitable only for the final stages in the treatment of drug and alcohol dependency;
(d) that the model of service delivery for the property, whilst it employs Indigenous people, has failed to include any Indigenous organisations in its delivery;
(e) that the original intention of the Farm, as stated by Jon Stanhope in his press release of 13 October 2007, was for it to be a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility; and
(f) that the Farm does not meet the needs of the local community for an Indigenous drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation facility delivering a clinical model of care; and
(2) calls on the ACT Labor Government to:
(a) accept responsibility for failing to keep to the original commitment made on 13 October 2007 by the then Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, to develop a drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation facility; and
(b) detail how the Government will deliver on a drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation centre:
(i) as requested and needed by the ACT Indigenous community;
(ii) which provides an appropriate clinical model of care; and
(iii) which is run by Indigenous organisation/s.
The Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm has been opened, or allegedly it has. I cannot confirm, because for some reason my name was not included on the invitation list for the opening. Twenty-four MLAs were invited and, unfortunately, my name was not on that list. The minister once again emphasised in a media release not long ago that the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm would not be an alcohol and drug residential rehabilitation facility. In fact it will not even be a residential facility, with clients to be bussed in 30 minutes there, 30 minutes back from the Woden town centre every day. So, after more than 10 years of effort and spending more than $12 million, the property is to become little more than what the community has called a glorified day camp, running a very expensive non-residential day program for people in the final stages of their drug and alcohol dependency recovery journey.
Ten years ago, when Jon Stanhope sent out a media release, on 13 October 2007, he promised the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community $10.8 million for an Indigenous drug rehabilitation centre. The services to be provided there would fill a gap, he stated. It would be in line with the then government’s determination to provide services which were culturally appropriate for the Indigenous community. Drug and alcohol abuse, he stated at the time, were complex health issues and social issues facing the Indigenous community. It had become clear to him that there was a
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