Thursday, 12 May 2022

Drug and alcohol services

Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (10:21): I rise today to send my thoughts, strength and solidarity to any family or person who is experiencing a loved one going through addiction. Our party believes that anyone facing an addiction should be able to get the help that they need without delay. There is often a very small window between the time someone says, ‘I want help’ and the time that they potentially relapse and do not want help for their addiction anymore. This is why availability of services, including detox, is so important and why we cannot accept a six-month or a six-week wait.

Recently I met with the mother of a former addict. She is grateful that her daughter has been able to overcome her addiction, but it was not an easy or a quick path by any stretch; it never is. Her daughter attempted suicide in 2012, her lowest point, but her story is one of success. She now has a beautiful family and is eight years clean. This mother has dedicated a lot of her time to pushing for the Lookout in Warrnambool to provide a residential rehabilitation service closer to home. This is one of the reasons I will continue to fight for more rehabilitation services, including residential and detox beds. I was very disappointed to see that this service, which has $1.2 million raised to build it, was overlooked in the budget, but I know these families will keep on fighting because lives depend on it. Once again, to reiterate: my heart goes out to families experiencing addiction. It is a horrible scourge, and we desperately need the services to beat it.