Thursday, 28 August 2025

Alcohol and other drug services

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:03): (1030) My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. Mildura was promised a 30-bed residential rehabilitation centre in 2022. The community is deeply concerned that the proposed location in Merbein is unsuitable due to issues including the police station having limited opening hours, no ambulance station and that known drug dealers operate in the immediate vicinity. I ask: will the minister join with the member for Mildura and meet with locals to hear and address their concerns?

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:04): I thank Ms Bath for her question, and it gives me the opportunity to highlight the investment that the Allan Labor government is making right across our AOD system. Indeed we have committed to building a new AOD residential rehab centre in Mildura. It is the case that advocates and the community more broadly in Mildura have been advocating for this project for a number of years, including First Nations organisations, particularly the ACCHO up there.

It is incredibly important that people can have access to AOD treatment in the communities that they live in. The government was pleased to commit to this investment and this project because of the fact that, until this project is delivered, people will have to continue to travel long distances to be able to get the drug rehabilitation treatment that they need.

I will just take issue a little bit with the way that you framed your question, Ms Bath, because you implied that a residential drug rehabilitation centre would somehow have a honey pot effect for the dealing of drugs. This is a theme that we have heard from those opposite in different locations around the state, and it is disappointing because all it does is add to the stigma. People who voluntarily put their hand up and say, ‘I’ve got an addiction issue and I need help’ are not the people who are going to participate in the kind of behaviour that you have implied. That is what I would say in relation to that.

I am also aware that there have been some community consultations that have been led by VHBA and that they have been engaging with the community through letter drops, through doorknocking. I am also aware that the local member up there has been trying to initiate a public forum about these issues. The dates that she wrote to me about were dates that I was not available to travel to Mildura, but I have offered for her to come and speak to me at any time that we are in Parliament. I have been very open with the member for Mildura that my door is open if she wants to talk to me about this important project in the Mildura area. I think that those who take up the opportunity to come and speak to me about my portfolios know that my bona fides are pure when it comes to talking to people about important projects in their communities that our government is investing in.

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:07): I thank her for her response, but the minister did not answer my question, because it was about listening to locals – her attending Mildura and listening to their concerns, their valid concerns. My supplementary is: Mallee District Aboriginal Services were promised six beds in the centre would be dedicated to local Indigenous people and they would be included in the design of the site to ensure the facility was culturally appropriate. MDAS has now been told these beds are no longer in the scope of the proposed works. Have these dedicated beds been scrapped, breaking the promise to local First Nations people?

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:08): Thank you for your supplementary question, Ms Bath. I actually went to Mildura for the announcement of this project. I met with a number of key stakeholders that have been involved in the co-design of this project, including the location, the design and the model of care that are most appropriate for this residential rehab centre. I met with a number of traditional owners and elders who have been have been calling for this project for a very long time. I will continue, as will my department, to work closely with the community in Mildura and of course the surrounding areas that are going to benefit from this project to make sure that it is meeting the expectations of the community.