I am pleased to launch three new projects aimed at reducing alcohol and substance abuse and related problems within the indigenous community in the Alice Springs area.
The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AERF), which was established by the Commonwealth in 2001 as an independent body to support community treatment and prevention initiatives, is contributing $1.1 million to these new projects.
All three initiatives will be run by local indigenous organisations with established links and experience in administering community programmes in Alice Springs.
The first of the new projects involves assisting the Tangentyere Council to extend the hours of its existing night patrol service which strives to reduce drinking and prevent public disorder. The Council currently operates community run night patrols in Alice Springs for eight hours a night from Tuesdays to Saturdays
A total of more than $1 million will be provided to allow a new day patrol to operate from 1.30pm to 6.30pm from Monday through to Saturday, which is a significant expansion of the operational hours of the current patrols.
The funding will also assist the Council to employ two referral officers to case manage people who continually drink heavily, help their families and create better links with police and hospital services.
Under the second project, the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress will run an after-hours mobile youth drop in centre and support service.
The AERF will contribute just over $36,000 to the mobile youth centre which has been developed in cooperation with the Northern Territory Government, the Alice Springs Town Council and a number of youth services.
The third project will see funding of $63,000 provided to the Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes Unit to employ a Life Skills Officer. This person will assist people undergoing treatment to use their time to gain the skills they need to find work and obtain independent accommodation. In this way the Life Skills Officer will be aiming to help people to fully participate in and contribute to their local community.
These projects follow on from the recent determination of the Alice Springs and surrounding community to restrict liquor sales. The local community has taken important steps to tackle alcohol and other substance abuse, and is being supported in a practical way by the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation.
The Foundation is to be commended for the support it is providing in the local community through partnerships with governments and community organisations.
In particular I welcome the cooperative approach that is the basis of the recent partnership arrangement announced by the Foundation and the Northern Territory Government.
The Commonwealth is providing $115 million to the Foundation for it to use to support community prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research initiatives throughout Australia. One of the conditions of providing this funding is that the Foundation allocates at least 20% of its resources to community initiatives aimed at assisting indigenous Australians.