Territory Stories

SCUAAC Briefing 9 February 1994 Mr Steve Gelding District Manager representing the Department of Health and Community Services

Details:

Title

SCUAAC Briefing 9 February 1994 Mr Steve Gelding District Manager representing the Department of Health and Community Services

Other title

Tabled Paper 345

Collection

Tabled Papers for 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997; Tabled papers; ParliamentNT

Date

1994-12-01

Notes

Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory under Standing Order 240. Where copyright subsists with a third party it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.

Language

English

Subject

Tabled papers

File type

application/pdf

Use

Copyright

Copyright owner

See publication

License

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C1968A00063

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/290544

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/402612

Page content

ALCOHOL ABUSE COMMITTEE - Wednesday 9 February 1994 KATHERINE MEETING Mr POOLE: Could I ask you to state your name and the capacity in which you appear today? Mr GELDING: My name is Steve Gelding and I am the District Manager for the Department of Health and Community Services. Mr POOLE: The format we have been using today basically is for people to say what they want to say and we ask questions as they go along. At the same time, feel free to ask us questions. Mr GELDING: I was not aware of the actual format. I thought you would be asking me some questions. Mr POOLE: We would like you basically to give us your impressions of the alcohol-related problems that you experience in your area and any comments or suggestions you have which would enable the committee to offer to the parliament to help solve some of the problems. You are welcome to be as radical as you like. Mr GELDING: Right. This is a bit of a new experience for me confronting . . . Mr POOLE: The idea of the committee is to obtain the views of the community and individuals interested in the area. We go back and discuss these among ourselves. Initially, we come up with a shopping list for government that is discussed in the parliament. Mr GELDING: All right. I guess my interest is that I am accountable for the spending of public money in the Katherine district - the urban and rural area. Currently, we spend nearly $750 000 a year through the department - that is, both the Living with Alcohol Trust money and departmental funding. As part of the ongoing evaluation process, we have been planning from late last year to look at what we are actually doing with it and where it is going. Are you aware of the breakdown? Are you interested in the breakdown of how that ...? Mr POOLE: Yes. Mr GELDING: The bulk of that actually goes to the sobering-up shelter alone - $280 000 for the current year. The sponsor organisation for that is the Katherine Alcohol and Drug Association. I believe you are meeting with them. Mr POOLE: We have spoken to them this morning. Mr GELDING: They get an additional $150 000 for the employment of a coordinator and 2 counsellors and some administrative costs. About $430 000 all up goes to KADA and the sobering-up shelter. I will quickly run through the others and then I will come back to KADA because it has been the major 1