Tuesday, 24 May 2022

Adjournment

Lookout residential rehabilitation centre

Ms BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (19:00): (6366) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Health, and the action I seek is for the minister to meet with the Lookout alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre committee and explain what they need to do for the Victorian government to fund the much-needed project. The committee has done a power of work over the past six years to establish this facility and was extremely disappointed the government again overlooked it for funding in the 2022–23 state budget. Once established, the Lookout will provide 20 residential rehab beds and support people with drug and alcohol addictions on their recovery journey with 24-hour care.

The South-West Coast and Mallee were two regions identified as most in need of residential rehab facilities in Infrastructure Victoria’s 30-year strategy, released last year. Mildura received $36 million in the 2022–23 budget for its facility. Now, I do not begrudge that funding announcement because there clearly is a need in that region. However, the Lookout is much further advanced than Mildura. A site has been secured and planning applications approved, which makes it even more disappointing that it has again been ignored by this government. The Mildura announcement will leave south-west Victoria as the only region in the whole state without access to vital residential rehabilitation beds, despite it being recognised as one of the most in-need areas.

Victoria does not have a great track record for providing residential rehab beds. Figures from the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association show that in 2021 the ratio of beds per 10 000 people in Victoria was 0.74. This compares to 2.52 in the ACT. Only South Australia had a lower ratio than Victoria. So our state is clearly lagging a long way behind the rest of the country in providing much-needed residential rehab beds. And yet despite this we have a government that has known about this project since 2017 and simply done nothing. This is the same government that tried to sell its 2022–23 budget as one focused on health and recovery. It seems illogical that the Lookout was snubbed again, given those so-called budget priorities.

Addiction can strike anyone. It does not discriminate. We need to ensure that people who are taking steps to break the cycle of addiction have the access to the support and services they need close to home. The Lookout is ready to go. The community has shown widespread support, with more than $600 000 raised. This is an amazing effort from a community that understands the need for this service, given the devastating impacts alcohol and drugs have. What the community now needs is a government that also understands the need and is proven to be willing to act. I urge the minister to explain to the Lookout committee what indeed we have to do as a community to get this project and make it a reality.