Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The somewhat nondescript town of Ceduna, in South Australia, has been thrust into national headlines with the release last week of the ORIMA research on the healthy welfare card wave 2 trials. It is impossible to explain how hard it is to change the character of a town such as we've seen in Ceduna with the impact of the healthy welfare card with a reduction in the area of 40 per cent in alcohol and gambling recorded. There was 41 per cent less frequent consumption of alcohol; a 37 per cent fall in presentations to Ceduna for alcohol related issues; a 14 per cent fall in apprehensions under the Public Intoxication Act; a 40 per cent perception among nonparticipants that their town is safer; 48 per cent of participants gambling less; and a 12 per cent collapse in pokie revenue, something we've never achieved anywhere else in the country and representing over half a million dollars re-injected into the real economy in Ceduna, by which I mean the purchasing of goods, food, medicines, toys and supplies for children and babies. Obviously, we've seen reports of the consumption of legal drugs dropping, not just in 24 per cent of participants but, in wave 2, to 48 per cent. We have also seen 45 per cent of participants better at saving money, 40 per cent of them better at caring for those they are responsible for, and a fall in crime and other harmful behaviours. These changes don't come easy but they come with a healthy welfare card.

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