Project Ice Riverland

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (15:23): I rise today to speak about a drug rehabilitation pilot program that I recently opened and delivered to the good people of Chaffey, following last year's state election. It was an election commitment that I gave to the people of Chaffey. Sadly, my office had been inundated with families, family members and community members who had been impacted by the scourge of crystal methamphetamine, known as ice. Working closely with the community, the Riverland drug action group and particularly Project Ice Riverland, through public forums and the continual meetings of those groups, we came together and formulated a need for the Riverland.

We know that regional South Australia, by and large, has been dealt quite a severe blow from the impacts of methamphetamine use and what it means particularly to small regional communities. The use of crystal methamphetamine, known as ice, has been evident in Chaffey for some time, particularly in the wastewater. I would like to acknowledge the great work of SAPOL and the service sectors that have been a part of this consultation process over a long period of time.

Leading up to the election, I met Dr Quentin Black, who heads up PsychMed where he has been running the MATRIX program, a program that has been running in the US for 30 years or more. It is a project that has been tried and tested and is seen to be a very effective program. Delivering on my election commitment, last Tuesday I officially opened the PsychMed centre in Berri, which will administer the MATRIX drug rehabilitation program. I opened the facility with Dr Quentin Black, who is a medical practitioner and clinical psychologist. We had Nicole Bowering there who is a program mentor. Sadly, she was taken over by ice and, over an extended period of time, she learnt what it means to have an addiction to crystal methamphetamine. She was there to show that the program works.

Dr Black believes that traditional approaches such as inpatient detox, drug substitution and residential rehabilitation programs are effective in only about 12 per cent of cases. The initial trial results from the MATRIX program in Adelaide found the intensive community-based treatment yields results up to six times better than those of traditional programs like residential rehabilitation programs. The Marshall Liberal government has committed $580,000 to this pilot program in the Riverland to assist the people in our community with ice dependency. Our government recognises the challenges faced by individuals experiencing problematic substance abuse, and the people who support them, so we are very pleased to be able to support extending services in the region.

The MATRIX program combines practical training for escaping addiction with frequent, structured social support and the rewarding of participants' achievements. It includes supported detoxification and participation involving regular attendance throughout the program. It is about keeping minds active and giving participants the best support possible for rehabilitation. At the opening, about 40 community people came along and witnessed Nicole Bowering's story. It was a very sad story, considering the journey she had been on, but it had a great outcome. She had been through the MATRIX program and had experienced its great work and the way it engages participants and gives them the belief that they can get over that large hurdle of addiction.

The centre is a win, not only for the people of Chaffey but for the people within the Riverland and Mallee districts. We even have people coming from outside the region to explore the possibilities and opportunity to be part of the MATRIX program. I commend the Marshall Liberal government for showing the initiative of putting the pilot program in the Riverland in the electorate of Chaffey because, sadly, in regional South Australia, crystal methamphetamine is a scourge.