Debates Day 2 - Wednesday 17 May 1995
Parliamentary Record 10
Debates for 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997
1995-05-17
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
English
Debates
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
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https://hdl.handle.net/10070/281696
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DEBATES - Wednesday 17 May 1995 it run out of money with which to pay its staff? It happened because it used the salaries money to buy a bus. It then wanted more taxpayers money to pay the salaries. When I met with CAAAPUs representatives over that issue, I said: I am sorry. As managers, you made a decision to buy a bus rather than to pay your staff. You took that decision and you will have to live with it. You will not receive any further taxpayers funds to throw after the funds expended on that poor management decision. There were other reasons, which I have given ad nauseam on the radio, on television and in the press, for the closing down of CAAAP. We did not want Territory taxpayers money being used to treat people who are being transported from interstate to be treated in Alice Springs. We did not want taxpayers money wasted on programs that were not having the results that taxpayers of the Northern Territory would expect their money to achieve. That is why we closed CAAAPU. If the member for MaeDonnell still does not understand it, it will take somebody much better than I am to explain it to him. When I walk down the streets of Alice Springs today, Aboriginal people pull me up and say: Dont be concerned about closing CAAAPU. The only problem was that you did not do it soon enough. The Leader of the Opposition is nodding his head. He knows that the member for MaeDonnell is wrong. The Leader of the Opposition knows why it was closed. Mr Ede: You should have released that report. Mr REED: Whilst talking about CAAAPU, something very valuable and unexpected has come to light from that experience. I am not withdrawing from any commitment to re-establish rehabilitation services in Alice Springs, but it does relate to the discussion that we are having today. CAAAPU was funded for 40 rehabilitation placements in Alice Springs. I have made a commitment that we will re-establish rehabilitation services in Alice Springs. The money previously provided to CAAAPU has been quarantined. It has been suggested by community leaders in a couple of communities - 1 think Yuendumu was one - that having people present to a rehabilitation service in Alice Springs does not fulfil the requirements of rehabilitation. There are a number of problems that flow from that. In particular, the person is isolated from their community, and away from their extended family. Their family often moves into town. That exacerbates the problems that we are discussing today. It is not because the family of the person concerned are heavy drinkers. It is simply that, when they come into town, they are hauled into the net of the drinking fraternity and that causes problems for them. It exacerbates the situations in which the types of antisocial behaviour and difficulties occur that we will address with the initiative announced today. I will ask the department to investigate the provision of rehabilitation services, at least on a trial basis, in a number of communities across the Territory - perhaps a couple in the Centre and a couple in the Top End. In that way, people attending the rehabilitation service will be in their own community and will have the support of their families. Most importantly, their families and their community will be aware of what is being attempted in the rehabilitation process. At the moment, it is merely a word to them in that someone disappears into the rehabilitation centre and hopefully comes out rejuvenated. Clearly, what we have been doing is not successful. We send people back to their community: You are cured. Off you go. We never want to see you again because you have no further problems. That is not successful. We have to trial some models in communities 3277