Pubdate: Tue, 15 Jun 1999
Date: 06/15/1999
Source: Fairfield Advance (Australia)
Author: Kerry Chikarovksi, Leader of the NSW Opposition

I couldn't agree more with the People Against Persecution of Addicts
(Fairfield Advance, June 1) who are calling for more money to be spent
on drug rellabilitation and treatment services.

During the Drug Summit held recently, I called on the Carr Government
to treble funding for drug rehabiliation in NSW - a move which the
Government rejected.

Time and time again, workers on the coalface have told of their
distress at having to turn away one in three drug addicts that come to
them for help.

I would have thought that given the Government's stated commitment to
tackling the drugs problem in this State, it would be in total support
of tripling the amount of resources available to help the many users.

To talk about helping drug users and then not being prepared to put
the proper funding in place to operate programs amounts to nothing
more than empty rhetoric from the Carr Government.

Kerry Chikarovski, Leader of the Opposition