Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak on the member for Grey's private member's business. Social harm caused by welfare-fuelled alcohol, drug and gambling abuse is a key priority for this government, and that is the reason the government initiated and has started trials of the cashless debit card. I do want to underline the word 'trial' because indeed it is a trial and we will assess this in another six months' time.

The Overcoming Indigenous disadvantage report, which was released on Thursday, found rates of family and community violence were unchanged between 2002 and 2014-15, and that risky, long-term alcohol use was similar during the same period. The proportion of adults reporting substance misuse in the previous 12 months increased by seven per cent to 31 per cent during the same period, according to the report. Despite numerous initiatives by governments across all tiers and of all persuasions during this period these results are, I think, incredibly disappointing for all of those who are in this House. They illustrate what I said in this place only last year, following the Closing the gap report, that more needs to be done.

The cashless debit card, which has been trialled in Ceduna in South Australia and in the East Kimberley in my electorate of Durack, was introduced to reduce social harm caused by welfare-fuelled alcohol and drug abuse—particularly with respect to domestic violence and mental health issues—and to increase childhood school attendance overall. The trial of the card in Kununurra and Wyndham, which started in April, has had a profoundly positive impact on the West Kimberley, leading to a decrease in crime and also to a decrease in general antisocial behaviour in the region. Senior Sergeant Steve Principe, head of Kununurra Police Station, said that since the trial started there were fewer intoxicated people in public, which is great news for the people and the businesses in the West Kimberley, and also for tourists as well. And more positive news: the ambulance call-outs have dropped by 30 per cent from this time last year according to the local ambos. There has been a dramatic decrease in alcohol-related hospital emergency room visits since the trial began in April, which illustrates the flow-on effects that reducing alcohol consumption can have.

The success of the trial in the East Kimberley is, without a doubt, due to the leadership and courage of the local Indigenous leaders. I would like to pay tribute today to Ian Trust and I would like to quote some words of his that I have read just recently:

Unlike other reform efforts undertaken by government, it has been the Indigenous leaders of the East Kimberley who have led this reform…

And he goes on to say:

We believe it's a model that could drive reform across the country.

I accept that this is still a trial and that there is still a long way to go, but I have to say that from where we are in the East Kimberley I do agree with Mr Trust's observation.

Under the trial we have seen a reduction in family and domestic violence incidents. I am particularly proud that this government announced another $100 million last year with respect to the Women's Safety Package, and that last month the Prime Minister launched the third action plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. I am very pleased that in January the Marninwarntikura Fitzroy Women's Resource Centre, which is based in Durack, was awarded an additional $150,000 to help to address domestic violence. The funding was to allow the centre to provide workshops and smaller focus groups designed to be managed by a group of Indigenous leaders and supported by staff experienced in running committee initiatives, while promoting and enhancing the safety and wellbeing of women and children. This is real action run by locals in local communities. I do congratulate them and June Oscar for that particular grant.

With the time remaining I want to make the point that, with every scheme we have, whether or not it is an alcohol management plan, there is always someone out there who will scheme the system. There is always someone who will take advantage of the disadvantaged. This is a trial. So far, there are some who are knocking it, but there have been a lot of positive impacts from the cashless welfare card, and I think we need the time, another six months, to run before we can fully assess it. We need to hang in there because, by and large, the benefits outweigh the negative impacts of the card to date.

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