Member for Barker Tony Pasin has today hosted a community drug and alcohol forum in Murray Bridge.

The event was held at the council chambers and attended by well over 20 community leaders from a range of organisations including local schools, sporting groups, law enforcement aboriginal elders and health professionals from across the Murraylands region.

“The purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity for leaders and organisations in the community to come together and hear what the Government is doing and how to be involved to reduce the harms of drugs in their region.

“The Coalition Government’s approach to reducing the harms of drugs cannot be conducted in isolation; there is immense value in community cooperation and engagement to promote sustained and informed change,” Mr Pasin said.

The Drug and Alcohol Community Connections events provide an opportunity for the community to network with key bodies including the Department of Health, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) and Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to work on local issues.

These events seek to highlight opportunities for local organisations to be involved in Australian Government initiatives relating to the National Ice Action Strategy (NIAS), including the Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) program and Good Sports program.

Funding

  • The Commonwealth Government has committed almost $685 million over four years from 1 July 2016 to reduce the impact of drug and alcohol misuse on individuals, families and communities. Of this:
    • Over $544 million of this is dedicated for treatment services; and $298.2 million has been provided to support the actions under the National ICE Action Strategy (NIAS).
  • Within the $298.2 million provided to NIAS:
    • $241.5 million has been allocated to PHNs across Australia to commission additional drug and alcohol treatment services, including $78.6 million for Indigenous-specific services.
    • $19.2 million has been provided to the ADF to establish up to 220 LDATs across Australia.
    • $4.6 million has been provided to the ADF to expand the Good Sports Program to include a module title ‘Tackling Illegal Drugs’

 

Contact: Charlotte Edmunds – 8531 2466