❓ Mr. Morton asks the Minister for Mental Health about the Meth Helpline's impact. The Minister responds positively, highlighting its success and community feedback, while acknowledging opposition criticism.
AnsweredQoN 792Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METH HELPLINE
792. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for
Mental Health:
My question is for the minister —
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I have been very lenient on you. I call you
for the first time.
Mrs
L.M. Harvey interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Police, I call you for the first time.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington, I call you for the second time and Member
for Girrawheen for the second time.
Mr
N.W. MORTON : My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. I note the
minister recently launched the Meth Helpline as part of the Liberal–National
government's meth strategy. Can the minister please update the house on
how the helpline is helping our community?
792. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for
Mental Health:
My question is for the minister —
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I have been very lenient on you. I call you
for the first time.
Mrs
L.M. Harvey interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Police, I call you for the first time.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington, I call you for the second time and Member
for Girrawheen for the second time.
Mr
N.W. MORTON : My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. I note the
minister recently launched the Meth Helpline as part of the Liberal–National
government's meth strategy. Can the minister please update the house on
how the helpline is helping our community?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question
and for the opportunity to be with his student services teams at his schools
earlier this week. As members know, this government has a dedicated budget for
the methamphetamine strategy. We are committed to making a difference in the
community by reducing harm caused by meth and to improve and preferably prevent
people getting involved in addiction. The Minister for Police and I have been
active in this area by getting out and about. I have also recently launched a number
of strategies that have been well received. They include additional
rehabilitation beds, establishment of a specialist meth clinic, additional drug
support nurses in emergency departments, training for frontline workers and
school training programs for students, staff and parents. We listen to a lot of
people. When we go out and about many people have said that they are not sure
where to go to get advice and help. We listened to them and put in our meth
strategy that we would have a dedicated meth helpline.
The meth helpline is operating. I opened
it on Sunday of the long weekend, just over two weeks ago, and it has proven to
be very, very successful. Since then, 500 dedicated calls have been made to the
helpline, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week because we know that
people in crisis do not have a crisis only between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm; they
have it after hours. This dedicated meth helpline is attended by counsellors.
It is a confidential line and parents, users and loved ones can call and be
directed to the best counsellor to provide them with the information they
require. Not all the over 500 callers have been users; a lot have been parents
and loved ones. That response demonstrates that we are on the right track. Last
week when I was in Dunsborough with the member for Vasse, we held forums in
Dunsborough, Cowaramup and Busselton, and in Bunbury with the member for
Bunbury. We heard the same message again: people were very pleased that we have
made a helpline available for anyone in the state to access. I thought things
were going pretty well, we were getting the right feedback and it had been
pretty quiet on the other side. I have not heard much about what members on the
other side will do. I am sure we will hear something soon.
Mr
S.K. L'Estrange : They're not listening.
Ms
A.R. MITCHELL : I know they are not listening, but that is all right. One of
the things I picked up after my visit down south —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : That is enough!
Can you talk into the microphone; we are battling to hear you. Thanks.
Ms
A.R. MITCHELL : After I had returned, some headlines came out. One was in
the Busselton Dunsborough Times of 7 October, which reads ''Meth
help line cops criticism''. I thought that it was a bit unusual because
it was not the message I was getting from talking to people and it was not the
message people want to hear, so on reading the first line, guess what it says.
Thank you for calming down the chamber, Mr Speaker. It states —
The WA Opposition has slammed the
Government's new meth help line �
Does that surprise members?
Several members interjected.
Ms
A.R. MITCHELL : It did not surprise me. Let me read it again. ''The
WA Opposition has slammed the Government's new meth help line �''
It says that it does nothing to stem the rising tide of amphetamines abuse in
regional communities.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough!
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : I am on my feet; I am on my feet.
Mr
P.T. Miles interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Wanneroo!
Mrs
L.M. Harvey interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Police, for the second time.
Mr
W.J. Johnston interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington, for the third time.
Mrs
L.M. Harvey interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Police, for the third time.
Mr
N.W. Morton interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Forrestfield, for the second time.
Mr
N.W. Morton interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Forrestfield for the third time. Just decide. If you
want to have a rest, I will oblige.
Ms
A.R. MITCHELL : As members opposite know, and I am sure Hon Adele Farina k nows, I have never
said we will stop everything. We have a suite of services that will make a difference
in reducing meth and its impact. We have a suite of services; it is not the
only one; it is a range of services that we will continue to provide. If that
is what the opposition thinks of a major project that people have been
receiving well, I am very, very ashamed of them.
Mr
P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Albany, for the first time. Let us try to make some progress.
and for the opportunity to be with his student services teams at his schools
earlier this week. As members know, this government has a dedicated budget for
the methamphetamine strategy. We are committed to making a difference in the
community by reducing harm caused by meth and to improve and preferably prevent
people getting involved in addiction. The Minister for Police and I have been
active in this area by getting out and about. I have also recently launched a number
of strategies that have been well received. They include additional
rehabilitation beds, establishment of a specialist meth clinic, additional drug
support nurses in emergency departments, training for frontline workers and
school training programs for students, staff and parents. We listen to a lot of
people. When we go out and about many people have said that they are not sure
where to go to get advice and help. We listened to them and put in our meth
strategy that we would have a dedicated meth helpline.
The meth helpline is operating. I opened
it on Sunday of the long weekend, just over two weeks ago, and it has proven to
be very, very successful. Since then, 500 dedicated calls have been made to the
helpline, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week because we know that
people in crisis do not have a crisis only between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm; they
have it after hours. This dedicated meth helpline is attended by counsellors.
It is a confidential line and parents, users and loved ones can call and be
directed to the best counsellor to provide them with the information they
require. Not all the over 500 callers have been users; a lot have been parents
and loved ones. That response demonstrates that we are on the right track. Last
week when I was in Dunsborough with the member for Vasse, we held forums in
Dunsborough, Cowaramup and Busselton, and in Bunbury with the member for
Bunbury. We heard the same message again: people were very pleased that we have
made a helpline available for anyone in the state to access. I thought things
were going pretty well, we were getting the right feedback and it had been
pretty quiet on the other side. I have not heard much about what members on the
other side will do. I am sure we will hear something soon.
Mr
S.K. L'Estrange : They're not listening.
Ms
A.R. MITCHELL : I know they are not listening, but that is all right. One of
the things I picked up after my visit down south —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : That is enough!
Can you talk into the microphone; we are battling to hear you. Thanks.
Ms
A.R. MITCHELL : After I had returned, some headlines came out. One was in
the Busselton Dunsborough Times of 7 October, which reads ''Meth
help line cops criticism''. I thought that it was a bit unusual because
it was not the message I was getting from talking to people and it was not the
message people want to hear, so on reading the first line, guess what it says.
Thank you for calming down the chamber, Mr Speaker. It states —
The WA Opposition has slammed the
Government's new meth help line �
Does that surprise members?
Several members interjected.
Ms
A.R. MITCHELL : It did not surprise me. Let me read it again. ''The
WA Opposition has slammed the Government's new meth help line �''
It says that it does nothing to stem the rising tide of amphetamines abuse in
regional communities.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough!
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : I am on my feet; I am on my feet.
Mr
P.T. Miles interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Wanneroo!
Mrs
L.M. Harvey interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Police, for the second time.
Mr
W.J. Johnston interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington, for the third time.
Mrs
L.M. Harvey interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Police, for the third time.
Mr
N.W. Morton interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Forrestfield, for the second time.
Mr
N.W. Morton interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Forrestfield for the third time. Just decide. If you
want to have a rest, I will oblige.
Ms
A.R. MITCHELL : As members opposite know, and I am sure Hon Adele Farina k nows, I have never
said we will stop everything. We have a suite of services that will make a difference
in reducing meth and its impact. We have a suite of services; it is not the
only one; it is a range of services that we will continue to provide. If that
is what the opposition thinks of a major project that people have been
receiving well, I am very, very ashamed of them.
Mr
P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Albany, for the first time. Let us try to make some progress.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.