Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today marks 30 days since I was sworn in as the federal member for Canning, and I am pleased to inform that House that the Canning Ice Action Plan is well underway. Over the past 30 days I have met with a number of front-line providers servicing my electorate to better understand the impacts of ice on the community and treatment options for those struggling with addiction. These service providers include: Hope Community Services in Armadale; Palmerston Association Inc., who have an office in Mandurah; representatives from Armadale police station and South Metropolitan Community Engagement Unit in Peel; and Peel Youth Medical Service and GP Down South in Mandurah. I have also met with the principals of Challis Primary School and Cecil Grove high school, who are working together to implement an excellent 'womb to the workplace' care plan for students and their families. In addition, I also visited Fresh Start in Subiaco, which sits in the seat of Curtin, but since 2009 has treated 507 residents from Canning, mostly for addiction to amphetamines. I was heartened by their compassion, drive and focus on real, life-changing treatment for the people they serve.

The overwhelming message is that while ice may not be a new problem, it is manifesting itself in ways that service providers and the community are not fully equipped to deal with. They need further government support. The ice problem is particularly bad in Mandurah, a steadily-growing community of approximately 80,000 people, located one hour south of Perth. Currently there are 30,000 needles being exchanged per month through the Mandurah Needle and Syringe Exchange Program run by Palmerston Association—that is, 360,000 hits per year in the Mandurah area that we know about. On top of this figure, local authorities in the area have informed me that the needle disposal units located in public rest rooms are being broken into by users looking for syringes. And, as usage increases, so do crime and the associated health problems that come with the use of dirty needles. Youth unemployment sits at approximately 17 per cent in Mandurah, and the profile of the people who are committing these crimes is trending towards young people seeking to finance a drug habit. Sadly, local medical services live this reality every day in my electorate. Tragically, we are now seeing intergenerational drug use and addiction in Canning and we desperately need to break the cycle.

Ice use in Canning is a real problem that requires real solutions. There are good people already hard at work on this problem. As part of my post-election Canning Ice Action Plan, I recently invited the Minister for Justice, the Hon. Michael Keenan MP, to the first meeting of the Canning Ice Action Group, and there he gave an update on the National Ice Taskforce. The action group consists of representatives from local government, medical services and community organisations. The taskforce members are experts in their field and passionate about doing whatever is possible to help the community tackle ice. The Canning Ice Action Group had an open discussion about the impact ice is having on our community, what services are currently in place to tackle this problem and what needs to change so that they can deliver more effective assistance. Importantly, as their federal member of parliament, I was able to identify opportunities for where the Commonwealth can provide additional support to enhance already effective services in Canning. There is a need for affordable family services, more appropriate detox programs, more on-the-ground resources for rehabilitation providers, and early prevention programs in schools and community organisations. One of the most important parts of the rehabilitation process is the counselling process. The one-to-one relationship between those seeking to break their drug addiction and a counsellor is critical. We need to build our pool of community counsellors so that those determined to break free of drug addiction can enter into a genuine relationship of accountability, support and friendship.

The Canning Ice Action Group is eagerly awaiting the government's action plan that will flow from recommendations of the National Ice Taskforce. With the government's exceptional performance in the law-and-order portfolio, I am hoping to see a focus on health, education and community services to help people break their addiction. The next step in the Canning Ice Action Plan will be to hold a community forum within the electorate to give the constituents of my electorate an opportunity to share their concerns and ideas. Ultimately, the concepts that are formed through both professional and community engagement will be reported back to my state and federal colleagues for comment and further action. In conclusion, the Canning Ice Action Plan—30 days after my swearing-in—is well underway, and I look forward to progressing this further.