NO.022

$850,000 IN GRANTS FOR ALCOHOL AND DRUG TREATMENT

The Australian Government has announced a total of $850,000 in infrastructure grants to upgrade 17 community-based alcohol and drug treatment facilities across the nation.

Treasurer Peter Costello and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, Christopher Pyne, said today that each facility would receive $50,000 to improve its premises for the benefit of clients and drug and alcohol workers.

Alcohol and drug abuse is a devastating problem in the community that the Government is focussed on addressing, Mr Costello said, These non-government organisations work hard to provide assistance to those in the community with alcohol and drug problems, and these grants will help to get recovering alcoholics and drug addicts back on the straight and narrow.

The funding would be a welcome boost to the facilities, which will now be able to purchase much-needed items such as furniture and undertake minor renovations such as painting and repair work, Mr Pyne said.

As well as improving the physical work environment for staff and their clients, the funding will also help to create settings more conducive to providing professional treatment, counselling and rehabilitation services to the community.

Mr Pyne said community-based drug treatment facilities provided a variety of much-needed services, including counselling, outreach and peer support, home detoxification, medicated and non-medicated detoxification, therapeutic communities and rehabilitation.

The Australian Government is committed to drug treatment as an essential component of its balanced Tough on Drugs Strategy and has provided more than $124 million for treatment services since 1997. A list of the organisations that will receive grants is attached.

MELBOURNE

19 April 2006

Media contacts:

David Alexander – Office of the Treasurer – 02 6277 7340

Adam Howard – Office of the Parliamentary Secretary – 08 8431 2277

INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS FOR NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS