Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett is encouraging people to come and have their say at the LNP’s Ice Forum in Bundaberg this month.
Mr Bennett said he and the LNP team is determined to take a stand against Ice to end the pain and destruction it’s causing in our communities.
“Every week I hear stories of what this terrifying drug is doing to our young people – stories of families being torn apart, crime rates increasing and our police and hospital services struggling to cope,” he said.
“Ice doesn’t discriminate, it’s affecting families right across the spectrum.
“As the Shadow Child Safety Minister and Member for Burnett I will continue to fight against the scourge of ice to protect our kids and our families.”
Mr Bennett said the LNP wants to hear directly from addicts, their families, community experts and everyday Queenslanders about what they’ve been through and what they think needs to be done to stamp out ice use.
“The LNP already has a comprehensive ICE strategy that we took to the last election but we don’t pretend to know it all,” he said.
“There’s a lot of local community groups out there from various sectors who have been working hard behind-the-scenes to try to tackle the growing issue and I applaud them for their proactive response to the crisis, and I look forward to hearing from them at the forum too.
“We’ll use the feedback from our regional forums to make whatever changes we need to our policy to make sure it works.”
Mr Bennett said while Labor’s supposed ice strategy had sat on the shelf gathering dust for a year, the LNP was out there talking to the community and taking action.
“We want to get our plan right and then we’re happy to work with Labor to do something and do something now because we can’t wait a moment longer or this drug will destroy more lives,” he said.
“I look forward to co-hosting the ice forum here in Bundaberg with David Batt in the coming weeks and hearing from the community about their experiences and listening to their ideas.
Mr Bennett said he would continue to push for a rehabilitation centre to be established in the region.
“Our region deserves a rehabilitation centre to stop ice from taking further hold of our region, and the LNP is committed to ensuring we get a facility.”
The Ice Forum will be held on Tuesday, February 20. For more details or to register your interest, contact the Burnett Electorate Office on 4111 5100 or the Bundaberg Electorate Office on 4111 3100.
ENDS.
7 February 2018