Kevin Anderson wants a new Tamworth drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre now, says community rehabilitation debate can wait

The comments came as the MP revealed he is conducting ongoing discussions with Hunter New England Health about converting the old Banksia building into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.

"We don't have a facility for in-patient drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in Tamworth. I've been pushing for quite some time and the opportunity has now come up with the old Banksia," Mr Anderson said.

"I've got the old [Banksia] earmarked and [Hunter New England Health] know I'm coming after the old facility.

"I want it to be a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre for the New England and North West, centred around Tamworth. Then we can have discussion about the services to be delivered from it."

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Tamworth's Crime Prevention Working Group met in November to discuss an alternative to what they called an "old" and "expensive" institutional rehabilitation model.

Instead the city should adopt the "innovative" community-based Matrix treatment program for local addicts, they said.

The results of a South Australian pilot program show the home approach can be very effective. About 55 per cent of users went into remission in that test.

Former Nationals MP and Minister for Mental Health Kevin Humphries urged the community not to "put more money into old treatment programs like old residential programs."

But Mr Anderson said the discussion was in vain until the city had its own brick-and-mortar facility in the old Banksia building.

"What services are delivered out of that building in terms of whether it's in-patient facilities, or day program services, are yet to be had. Let's get the facility first - that's what I want and I'm going to keep going hard for it - and then we can have the discussion about what sort of services are delivered from it," he said.

The MP joined Hunter New England Health Chief Executive Michael DiRienzo last week to announce the site of a new Banksia Mental Health Unit, now set to be constructed immediately next to and connected to the hospital's emergency room.

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Mr DiRienzo flagged the new building could be used to accommodate "probably a number of services that I think should be on this campus".

Asked if that should include a rehabilitation facility, he said "I think we should look at all options".

"I'm having the discussions with Hunter New England Health about what could happen with that facility," Mr Anderson told media on Wednesday.

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