An e-petition has been launched in the NSW Parliament calling on the state government to repurpose the former Banksia Mental Health Unit in Tamworth as a drug and alcohol detoxification facility.
Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said the petition was intended to demonstrate community support for retaining the former unit in public ownership and converting it into a detoxification service.
“There is significant unmet need for detoxification services in Tamworth and the Northwest which makes accessing help a major challenge for patients, family, carers and local support networks when managing someone’s withdrawal from drugs or alcohol,” Anderson said.
“That is why our community is pushing for the existing Banksia Mental Health Unit to be kept in public hands and repurposed as a drug and alcohol detoxification unit. I’m calling on the government to look at a potential operating model where the government refurbishes the building and then engages a non-government organisation to provide the service.”
The petition calls on the NSW Government to:
- retain the former Banksia facility in public hands for the purposes of a drug and alcohol detoxification unit; and
- provide the funding necessary to refurbish the facility and ensure it is a clinical, modern and culturally appropriate unit for patients receiving detoxification services.
Anderson said the completion of the new Tamworth Mental Health Unit meant attention should now turn to the future of the Banksia building.
“The new Tamworth Mental Health Unit is now finished, and patients are expected to be transferred to the new unit very soon. The push is now on to ensure that Banksia unit is kept in public hands and repurposed as a drug and alcohol detoxification facility,” Anderson added.
“It is a fit-for-purpose, clinical environment that could be refurbished for a fraction of the cost of a new unit, so it makes good sense for the government to listen to our community.”
The e-petition remains open until 11 September and can be signed via the NSW Parliament website at: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/parliamentary-business/petitions/sign-epetition?epetitionId=817&ref=10902
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