Mandurah councillors vent frustration about dole drug test trial, stop short of opposition

Mandurah mayor Marina Vergone and City councillors said they had not been consulted about the trail prior to the announcement by federal Social Services Minister Christian Porter on August 27 and were concerned it had damaged Mandurah’s reputation. 

At a special council meeting on Tuesday night, coastal ward councillor Fred Riebeling said the trial was an attempt to demonise Mandurah’s unemployed people and called on the federal government to focus on creating more jobs.

“The real problem is unemployment,” he said. 

Mr Riebeling said there was no evidence to suggest that Mandurah had higher drug use rates than other localities in WA and he said the initiative trashed the city’s reputation.

He highlighted the failure of similar programs in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada to change drug use behaviours and called on Canning MP Andrew Hastie to focus on job creation initiatives and securing Building Better Regions funding.

“[They should] try to get away from punishing people who are the poorest members of the community and demonising them,” he said.

Town ward councillor Dave Schumacher welcomed the initiative but he highlighted the need to link rehabilitation services with mental health support and called for an increase in mental health beds in the region.

“People with mental health issues self-medicate with alcohol and drugs,” he said.

“We need to make sure there’s a safety net for those who are getting off drugs hand in hand with mental health support.”

During the special council meeting on Tuesday Mayor Marina Vergone expressed her disappointment about the lack of consultation with the City prior to Mr Porter’s announcement but welcomed the initiative.

“It’s a step in the right direction helping those in need,” she said.

“I’m glad something is getting done to get job seekers off drugs.”

However, in a statement release after the meeting by the City of Mandurah, Mayor Vergone called on the government to focus on job creation initiatives instead of the job seeker drug test trial.

“As well as the lack of liaison with the City and local community, there is also no information about the treatment process and support services available should an individual be referred for treatment,” she said.

“Many cities across Australia are dealing with drug issues in the community, and it’s concerning that Mandurah was singled out and has had its reputation damaged by this proposed trial.

“We’d like to stress to the Australian Government that we need to focus on creating employment and education opportunities, as this will greatly assist people in our community to have more meaningful lives.

“Mandurah has a positive story to tell in terms of its future potential as a thriving, independent, regional city.”

A motion agreed to at Tuesday’s meeting said council would support “community based initiatives” on reducing drug use after community consultation, reiterated “creation of jobs in the region” was council’s “top priority” but did not refer to the government’s proposed drug testing trial.