By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Casey Council is hosting a hardline public forum calling for a tougher crackdown on drugs and more State-funded rehab centres in the South East.
Organiser and former Liberal state MP Jan Kronberg is dead against ‘harm minimisation’ policies such as legalising cannabis and medically supervised drug-injection rooms.
She makes no apologies for not inviting speakers from that side of the debate.
“They’ve dominated discourse on the subject for 20 years. We’re doing this to push back against them.
“It’s time for the alternative to be heard.”
The29 May forum is being held by the Drug Advisory Council of Australia – which has a stated aim for a “drug-free Australia” and to “eliminate the harm of illicit drug use”.
The forum speakers include Dalgarno Institute researcher Shane Varcoe, counsellor and DACA board member Helen Hadley, Australian Christians political party researcher Eleni Arapoglou and an affected family member ‘Tracey’.
Ms Kronberg said more resources were needed to stop the supply and demand chains, such as more regular checking of shipping containers, she said.
Meanwhile, desperate families were paying $12,000-a-month for private rehab due to a shortage in the public system, she said.
Currently, Victoria had long waiting lists for 200 public beds compared to more than 800 in NSW, she said.
“If you leave someone hanging without the means of getting to a rehab centre, who knows what the consequences will be?”
Ms Kronberg said all levels of government had misguidedly committed to harm minimisation policies due to “this notion that we can’t really combat it”.
“Look at what the costs to society are and say we’re going to fight back.”
A supportive Casey mayor Geoff Ablett said there was a desperate need for more public-funded rehab in the South East.
“We have to get away from the stigma of the word ‘rehab’.
“They have to be part of the community because the issue is part of the community.”
In the past, Casey Council has passed strong motions opposing any future safe-injecting rooms in the municipality.
Cr Ablett said the council was supporting the forum’s educational function, to help families enduring the crisis of addiction.
Councillor Milla Gilic, also in support, said more rehab beds would give “hope” to families.
The forum comes a month after Casey ran an event against the Safe Schools program, which drew criticism for lacking balance.
Cr Wayne Smith – who was against the Safe Schools event – said the word ‘forum’ suggested a discussion on the pros and cons of an issue.
“If they are hirers of the venue then what they run is their choice.
“I’d prefer that both sides of the issue would be presented if it was truly a City of Casey endorsed event.”
