Crystal Methamphetamine Forum

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:39): I rise today to speak about a very important event I attended in the Riverland last week, entitled 'Knowing the facts about ICE'. The forum was attended by over 700 people, and it was held at the Chaffey Theatre in Renmark. About 500 people listened to a live stream from the ABC Riverland and heard about the extent of the issue in the region. For most of the people who came along to the forum it was about listening and learning about this destructive drug that is posing a threat to many communities right across South Australia.

During the forum, we heard from a local man, Riley, who at the age of 14 was given a bag of crystal methamphetamine by his father and told, 'Here, have that. I don't need it. I've had too much.' It really was a sad story to listen to. Riley is a survivor of this scourge, but he took a downward spiral into crime and gaol before he was able to get his life back on track. Sadly, it is an all too familiar tale for many people across South Australia.

The forum had some very good speakers. The guest panel was made up of SAPOL Inspector Tony Cramer, SAPOL's Detective David Fahy, local GP George Dalamagas, and Riverland Domestic Violence Service manager, Ele Wilde, who sees the cut and thrust and is at the coalface of this ice epidemic in dealing with domestic violence. Murray Mallee Superintendent James Blandford was also there, as was Dr Sarath Attanayake, who is a psychiatrist from the Riverland Regional Hospital and who spoke about what this drug does to the brain, the behaviour patterns and the aftermath.

I learnt that there are huge highs followed by huge lows, and that is why ice is so destructive. Once people hit that huge low, obviously they have to go again, and there is a trail of destruction when they are experiencing the huge low. Community members raised concerns about the region being under-resourced to tackle the issue, with inadequate drug treatments and inadequate support services. I note that DASA (Drugs and Alcohol South Australia), the Life Without Barriers Group, the Aboriginal Connection Program, and headspace are groups that are dealing with the increased presence of crystal methamphetamine in the region.

While those groups deal with that issue, there is a decrease in funding and government programs are being stripped away. We are seeing under-resourced and understaffed programs, which governments need to address, and I did some media about this after the forum. It is about governments tackling this issue head on; they cannot skirt around the edges. State and federal governments and, to an extent, local governments, all need to be on board and make a commitment. It is not just about governments making a fuzzy commitment around the edges; they have to go in there and hit this hard. It is about dealing with addiction, and it is about rehabilitation and education and prevention schemes that need to be a part of it.

Detective Sergeant Fahy, from the Drug and Organised Crime Division of SAPOL, said that the use of ice has been increasing in South Australia, with organised crime gangs often focusing on rural South Australia, where it is much easier, and harder to detect the manufacture. The local psychiatrist from the Riverland regional hospital said that he has seen a number of patients on ice, that it was impacting on their mental state and that it is a huge challenge for our health system. In many cases, it is putting so much pressure on health systems that we have long waiting times and it is putting a strain on resources.

The drug is also impacting on domestic violence, as I said, with Ele Wilde telling the forum that there has been a huge growth in the number of clients on ice over the past year. A fifth of all her clients who come to the domestic violence centre are on ice, and their families are affected by ice, and it is just very sad. She said that often children are going around with no shoes or jumpers in winter, and they go to school with no food because their parents cannot look after them because they do not have the resources or cash because they are using that money on drugs. Anyone in trouble, anyone needing help can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Family Drug Support Australia on 1300 368 186.