Working group to tackle drug problem head-on | Vote in the poll

Community leaders, police, health representatives, key stakeholders and those on the frontline sat down face-to-face yesterday with Acting Premier Troy Grant, Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson and Assistant Police Commissioner Geoff McKechnie, to paint the picture on the horrors of the drug ice, and what it is doing to the community. 

Mr Grant said the ice scourge was unlike any other in the past, but admitted there was no quick fix, or lightbulb moment to turn things around.

“It frightens the hell out of me, the impact drugs are having in our community and particularly the toxicity and severity of the impacts of ice, it scares the hell out of me,” Mr Grant said following yesterday’s roundtable forum in Tamworth.

“I think mums and dads in households right across NSW have that same level of fear, a lot of them don’t know what to do.

“We’ve heard a lot about it, now it’s time to do a lot about it.”

Locals have resolved to set up a Tamworth ice action group to be led by Mr Anderson to map out a plan of attack to curb the epidemic, and stop youth getting caught in a drug spiral.

The talking heads were keen to nut out realistic goals to ensure it wasn’t just another talkfest.

“It’s not for me, a 45-year-old man, to develop the education or marketing program to minimise the use of ice particularly with young people.” Mr Grant said.

“An exciting development is the local superintendent, assisted by a wonderful committee member is going to convene a young person expo to hear from young people themselves about what they think will work in addressing this issue.” 

Oxley Superintendent Clint Pheeney told the roundtable, kids will need to be at the forefront of the development of any campaign.

“For us trying to get something that works for kids, it’s never going to work. We have to have kids involved,” he said, pointing to social mediums like Facebook and Twitter.

“Face-to-face, kids don’t do that, it’s about phones, laptops and social media ... it’s about something that works for them or we won’t get it right.”

The new working group will report to the parliamentary secretary for western NSW, Gunnedah-based MLC Sarah Mitchell, who will liaise directly into cabinet with minister Pru Goward who has responsibility for the government’s ice policy.

The group also agreed to audit the referral services across the area to assess their effectiveness and prevent duplication, provide service mapping for addicts and their families, and nut out a treatment plan for a support network.

“Tackling ice is not a one trick pony, it’s about a concerted and concentrated effort across the three areas,” Mr Grant said, pointing to law enforcement, education and punishment.

“I think the acceleration of the impacts and the scale of the impact it has on the individual, then the family members, it’s like no drug we’ve had before.”

Mr Anderson said there were so many organisations willing to help locals in need, they just needed to work together to address the problem head on and stop young people turning to drugs.

“We need to involve them in a social media campaign, through Facebook, through Instagram, through Twitter, through Snapchat. We need to get to them; we need to communicate to them,” he said.

“We heard also (yesterday), years 5 and 6 are a key target area.

“We’ll be looking at that.

“It’s not necessarily about getting in front of them in a classroom situation, it is about communicating and connecting with them in the way that they do it, so young people talking to young people get the message through.”

Do you or family have firsthand experience with ice? Email us: mail.ndl@fairfaxmedia.com.au