Wednesday, 1 November 2017

The Andrews Labor Government is delivering an extra 100 residential rehabilitation beds over the next six months to deal with the devastating impacts of drug and alcohol addiction on local communities.

The Labor Government has provided funding to more than double the number of residential beds in Victoria since 2014. This includes new residential rehabilitation facilities currently being established in key regional areas to stop the devastating effect of ice and other drugs.

The Government will provide an additional $53 million to deliver the major expansion in Gippsland.

The first twelve beds of this significant expansion will be opened in Windana Drug and Alcohol Recovery in Maryknoll and Odyssey House in Lower Plenty and will be operational in the coming weeks

Further beds will also established at these sites, with a total of thirty in Windana to provide direct support to people in the Gippsland and surrounding areas. These beds will be open by March 2018.

Harriet Shing, Member for Eastern Victoria Region said that as well as providing urgent drug treatment support for people in local communities, the additional beds will help meet demand and relieve pressures on alcohol and drug treatment services.

As part of the Government’s Drug Rehabilitation Plan the government will invest a further $15 million to:

• Trial a new 28 day rapid withdrawal and rehabilitation model to stabilise an extra 100 complex clients a year and reduce hospital admissions

• Establish a new advisory and brokerage service to help people needing to urgently locate a suitable drug and alcohol rehabilitation beds

• Cracking down on dodgy private rehabilitation providers.

These investments are part of the Government’s Ice Action Plan and its record investment to tackle the harm alcohol and drug addiction causes to local communities.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley

“We’re doubling the number of rehab beds in Victoria – delivering help to more than 400 additional people every year.”

“We know the damage addiction causes to local communities – this investment will help more Victorians get the support they need in their community faster.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing:

“This expansion means more people in Gippsland can get access to the treatment they need faster and closer to home– helping to bring lasting change to their lives.”

“This is on top of the Government’s commitment in the last budget for land acquisition in Gippsland to build a new residential drug rehabilitation facility.”