‘Betrayal to those kids’: Crisafulli calls out government’s ‘failure’ to build rehab centre

An $11.5m Cairns Youth Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation centre should already be delivering treatments but has not yet started construction, according to the LNP.

An $11.5m Cairns Youth Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation treatment centre which should already be delivering treatments, has not yet started construction, according to the LNP.

The 10-bed, 24/7 youth alcohol and other drugs rehabilitation and treatment centre, proposed for Edmonton, was originally announced in October 2020.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said failure to follow through on the facility was a “betrayal of those kids who need help and a community being torn apart by crime.”

“Until the government acknowledges that what they are doing at the moment is not working and starts listening to the solutions on the table, this will continue to repeat itself time and time again,” Mr Crisafulli said.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli says the state government is failing the people of Queensland with their youth crime and justice policy. Picture: Brendan Radke

At the time of announcement, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said facilities such as the rehabilitation centre usually took a couple of years to build, “so we’ll get onto it as fast as we can.”

Cairns MP Michael Healy said at the time: “This money has been allocated and it’s ready to go and it’s something that our community needs.”

However the project start and completion dates are as yet, unknown.

When questioned in parliament about the progress on the centre, Minister for Health Yvette D’Ath said the state government was “committed to delivering world-class health care to all Queenslanders no matter where they live.”

“The Cairns Youth Residential Rehabilitation facility will be an important health service for the Cairns region,” Ms D’Ath said.

“I’m advised considerable progress continues to be made to deliver this facility. Since the site was purchased in April 2022, community engagement through public consultation, due diligence, and schematic designs have been completed.”

Ms D’Ath continued, saying the project was currently in the phase that included detailed design development, which would lead to the release of tender documents.
“Further information in relation to expected time frames for practical completion and any impacts to original budget estimates will be known following the award of the tender,” she said.

LNP candidate for the seat of Cairns Yolonde Entsch and Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli say the state government is failing the people of Queensland with their youth crime and justice policy. Picture: Brendan Radke

However Mr Crisafulli was sceptical.

“How are we going to turn young lives around when the Palaszczuk Government is so overcome with chaos and crisis, they can’t even put a shovel in the ground nearly three years after making a promise?” he said.

He said youth crime was impacting “everyday people of Queensland every day” and “ripping the fabric of our great communities apart”.
“We’re not going to give up on kids we’re going to try and turn them around from a lifetime of crime,” he said.

“We’ve written to the Auditor General, and he is undertaking a review of programs. We need to know what is working and what isn’t and what is the best in the globe? Let’s bring it to Queensland and turn crims around before a lifetime of crime.”
LNP candidate for Cairns Yolonde Entsch said she was “greatly saddened” to hear of people getting broken into and having their cars stolen more than once.
“They are absolutely begging the government to do something to ensure that we break the cycle so that these young people aren’t continuing to commit crimes,” Mrs Entsch said.

Originally published as ‘Betrayal to those kids’: Crisafulli calls out government’s ‘failure’ to build rehab centre