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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-15 Daily Xml
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APY LANDS, SUBSTANCE MISUSE FACILITY

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood) (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Will the minister advise what percentage of her department's APY task force budget is spent on the substance misuse facility in Amata, when a recent report states, 'The community in Amata has had little contact with this facility'? The opposition understands that more than a million dollars per year goes into this service, which had only 11 patients staying overnight in a 2½-year period.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Health is answering the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Any minister can answer any question.

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order, Madam Speaker. Whilst I know that any minister can answer, I am at a loss to understand how this minister can say what percentage of the minister for Aboriginal affairs' budget goes into a particular program.

The SPEAKER: We have a very clever Minister for Health and I am sure he has some understanding of that, but he is also responsible for that substance abuse centre. Minister for Health.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:47): The reality is, of course, that, as Minister for Health, I am responsible for that centre. Can I just inform the house—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: It is my budget; that is the point.

Mrs Redmond: What percentage of your budget?

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The percentage of my budget? Well, my budget is $4.7 billion. I would have to get higher mathematical advice to work out the percentage.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Just out of interest, the Amata substance misuse facility, of course, was one that was foisted on the land and foisted on this government by the former Howard government. In fact, it was the then minister for health federally, the current Leader of the Opposition federally, Tony Abbott, who was insistent on this proceeding, as I understand it. However, I note the 2004-05 Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands report compiled by Costello and O'Donoghue. On page 2 it made the point, in relation to the Pukatja community, 'That there are substance abuse rehab programs/detoxification centre is desperately needed.'

I suppose, in part, it was a response to that suggestion that came from the report that was referred to yesterday. So, a substance abuse facility was put on the lands. There was a lot of controversy at the time about where it should be put and whether or not it should be put on the lands. I have to say, our government was not strongly in favour of it. Once it was there, of course, we attempted to make it work, and we do run a whole range of drug and alcohol services—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: A tinkle—I hear a tinkle.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: We do run a whole lot of services from the lands through the drug and alcohol services branch of the Department of Health. That outreach program provides visits to all communities, engaging with either current registered clients or attempting to locate and engage with referred clients. A total of 338 referrals relating to 275 individuals have been received since the program commenced. We also have the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service running a special program through Amata as well.

So, there is a whole range of services that we are running but, clearly, since the substance abuse centre was put in place, the innovation around Opal fuel has meant that the petrol-sniffing problems on the land have been significantly reduced and there are now other substance abuse issues that need to be considered.

It is no secret that this government, in cooperation with the federal government, has been looking at what we should do with this facility. It is a good facility, but it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was built, so we are looking at how we can create a modern health facility on that land, which will provide a broader range of services.

We are taking advice from Nganampa Health. We have certainly had advice given to us from the women's council and other organisations. We have drafted a package of services that might be able to be run from that, and I am looking forward to consultation with the APY lands communities about what they would like to see before we advance it.

I think we are getting very close to being able to run a broader range of services which, I know, the member for Norwood has been advocating, from that service. So, we are actually using the capital that has been put there, but I have got to say it was not our decision; it was not our preference, but it was imposed upon us, as so many things were, by the former Howard government.

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