ASSISTANT Health Minister Fiona Nash should “put her money where her mouth is” if she’s committed to tackling Australia’s ice epidemic, says a western Queensland mayor.
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The comment, by Balonne Shire Mayor Donna Stewart, follows Queensland Country Life’s report that the Nationals Senator’s office failed to respond when repeatedly asked if Ms Nash would commit to pushing for additional funding for rural and regional communities to conquer illicit drug use.
Ms Stewart said she questioned Nash’s commitment as Assistant Health Minister to addressing the issue in rural and regional areas, given they were a clear focus of the National Ice Taskforce’s work.
“There’s no use using rhetoric – action needs to be funded and that means she needs to put her money where her mouth is,” Ms Stewart said.
She believed Ms Nash “should be reminded of the national approach” laid out by the government and their responsibility to implement effective measures to fix the issue.
“I think the very fact that Tony Abbott himself announced this taskforce means he’s prepared to do what it takes to support efforts at a national level,” Ms Stewart said.
“Senator Nash may very well like to speak to her Prime Minister, who announced this taskforce.”
When asked for a response to the question of federal funding, Ms Nash said state governments had the responsibility.
“I was instrumental in setting up the National Ice Taskforce with the aim of getting agreement from the states on a national ice strategy – given it is the states that mostly deliver services such as rehabilitation and detox,” she said.
Ms Nash said she, Mr Abbott and Justice Minister Michael Keenan “will absolutely give full consideration to whatever the taskforce recommends.”
In dealing with the issue, “Australia cannot police its way out of the ice problem”, Ms Nash said.
“Education and treatment services will be vital.”
These are the kinds of services Ms Stewart wants increased right across the bush.
“We’re not experts – we just need the means and direction to put an end to the problem ,” she said.
“From experience that takes money.
“The communities are having to bear the emotional and social impacts of this and it will get worse unless addressed.”
Ms Stewart said the problem was growing and one she was hearing about from as far as McKinlay – more than 1200 kilometres from her region.
However, ice-related incidents closer to home had acted as a catalyst for her to do something about the scourge.
“It’s general knowledge there have been two recent suicides in St George, both young men, as a result of ice,” she said.
With a population of only 3300, like many small towns, the incidents at St George had a major impact on the entire district.
Ms Stewart said she had since received many accounts of ice-related issues at local hospitals and other community services.
“Our street cleaner goes around picking up rubbish and, very unpleasantly, more recently syringes from the street and bins,” she said.
“He came to us saying the sharps disposal container was that full from them he couldn’t fit anymore in it.”
What alarmed her more was when she “had a telephone call from a member of the football community saying they’d found a used syringe on the oval”.
Ms Stewart said she believed these influences – along with the increased drug-related violence – were leading to the “general degeneration of the community”.
She was determine to “show leadership and take ownership of the issue, “getting the right education into the community to drive ice out.”
“Whether medical, police, mental health, treatment – we need myriad of people to help address what the best way is to deal with it.”
Mayor Stewart said such localised solutions would require a considerable amount of funds and the federal government had a role.
“I know we’re always putting our hand out for issues, but I don’t think there’s anything more important than taking this issue out of our community,” she said.
