The Australian Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence was forced to close its family addiction recovery services in Canton Beach after 6 years of operation due to rental arrears. This forced 40 men, women and children to become homeless within 48 hours. The center relied on client Centrelink payments which averaged $36.42 per day, which was not enough to sustain operations. There is a lack of affordable, government-funded rehabilitation options for families struggling with addiction issues in Australia.

1. THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE INC.
Challenging Ignorance and Stigma in Australia
 Education and Information
 Hope and Forgiveness
 Freedom from Addiction
A.C.A.D.D.
2-6 Kantara Road
CANTON BEACH.
NSW. 2263
ABN: 30 246 316 893
Hopeline:1800 033 108
phone:(02) 43 971177
fax: 43 971677
Website: www.acadd.org
“Touching Lives”
christa@acadd.com.au
June 30th, 2016
To the Editor
FORTY MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN MADE HOMELESS IN 48 HOURS
Women with children
Family members with drug related offences on bail forced to return to goal
Live-in staff
On June 24th, 2016 the Australian Council on Alcoholism Inc. was forced to close the family
addiction recovery services at Canton Beach after 6 years offering rehabilitation to families
affected by alcohol and drug addiction for Rental Arrears.
12 male Staff from Madizan Pty. Ltd. employed as “security” entered the premises and
demanded to change the locks and proceeded to inform all clients and staff they had 48 hours
to vacate the premises.
It was no longer sustainable to maintain its creditors on the Minimal income of Client
Centrelink Payments
Newstart Allowance $ 320.00 including full rent assistance
Disability Support Pension $ 480.00 per week
Youth Allowance $ 220.00 per week

2. THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE INC.
Challenging Ignorance and Stigma in Australia
 Education and Information
 Hope and Forgiveness
 Freedom from Addiction
A.C.A.D.D.
2-6 Kantara Road
CANTON BEACH.
NSW. 2263
ABN: 30 246 316 893
Hopeline:1800 033 108
phone:(02) 43 971177
fax: 43 971677
Website: www.acadd.org
“Touching Lives”
christa@acadd.com.au
Charges per day per client 80% of total Centrelink Payment
Equates to $ 36.42 per day
which no longer sustained staff wages, volunteers, property lease, vehicles, property
maintenance and outgoings, laundry, cleaning, food, electricity telephones computers, client
medical needs, pathology, court support client transport and client care.
Rehabilitation Treatment Facilities are an urgent social need to treat the ever increasing
addiction epidemic plaguing our society (Ice in particular) however addiction rehabilitation
centres and facilities have no means of sustaining these services based on Centrelink
recipients federal government income as shown above.
It is a known fact that when a person enters an addiction rehabilitation centre for treatment for
alcohol and drug addiction that they are at a point in their lives where they have either been
incarcerated for drug related offences and have lost the capacity for employment, or a parent
has lost a child to Child Protection due to alcohol and drug addiction and families have lost
the bread winner and became reliant on Centrelink to survive.
These situations occur from the highest level of employment and income and they happen to
anyone.
An accountant, a nurse, a doctor, a labourer, a supervisor, a Protective Service Officer, a
retail assistant, a chief executive office, a director of an organisation, loses his job or business
due to active alcohol and drug addiction and immediately becomes Centrelink reliant. Even
more so now there is drug testing in the workplace.
It costs The Australian Government $ 300.00 per day ($ 2100.00 pw) to keep a prisoner in
Goal and $ 600.00 per day ($ 4200.00) to keep a juvenile in detention yet it is the expectation
of rehabilitation centres to survive on the average Centrelink Client payment of $ 36.42 per
day to offer rehabilitation care to the client.
Is it no wonder rehabilitation centres cannot survive to sustain their services to the required
standard of care needed to be provided to rehabilitate one addict and educate their families
on the disease addiction.
These statistics quoted from Civil Liberties Australia 2013

3. THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE INC.
Challenging Ignorance and Stigma in Australia
 Education and Information
 Hope and Forgiveness
 Freedom from Addiction
A.C.A.D.D.
2-6 Kantara Road
CANTON BEACH.
NSW. 2263
ABN: 30 246 316 893
Hopeline:1800 033 108
phone:(02) 43 971177
fax: 43 971677
Website: www.acadd.org
“Touching Lives”
christa@acadd.com.au
Where a parent(s) loses their child to the Protective Care Office temporary or otherwise they
immediately lose their Family Tax Benefit and the Centrelink Payment is reduced to Newstart
Allowance. The parent, if they are to work toward winning their child(ren) back, must comply
to all undertakings the Protective Officers place on them – enter a rehabilitation centre and
treat the alcohol and drug addiction, attend Department of Human Services conferences,
solicitors conferences, court hearings, parenting courses undertake counselling all on
Newstart Allowance of $ 36.42 per day.
Rehabilitation Treatment Centres are to provide treatment and rehabilitation and make
allowance for the parent to fulfil all requirements and undertakings.
It costs the Australian Government approximately $ 3.3 billion for child protection and out of
home care placement. A study by the Social Policy Research Centre found that the cost of
caring for children in foster care is, on average, 52% higher than the costs of caring for other
children not in care (McHugh, 2002). At Canton Beach Family Addictions Recovery Centre we
assisted parents to successfully regain full time care of their children by working with the
Protective Care officers, providing special care and supervision to the parent whilst they were
participating in the rehabilitation process.
All this for a client Centrelink Payment of $ 36.42 per day
Over the six years of service The Canton Beach Family Addictions Recovery Services
provided:
Staff: Full time Drug and Alcohol Counsellor Diploma qualified
Full time Client Supervisor Welfare Certificate IV
General Office Manager
Reception and Intake Officer
Book Keeper
Project Administrator
Property Maintenance Officer
Volunteers

4. THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE INC.
Challenging Ignorance and Stigma in Australia
 Education and Information
 Hope and Forgiveness
 Freedom from Addiction
A.C.A.D.D.
2-6 Kantara Road
CANTON BEACH.
NSW. 2263
ABN: 30 246 316 893
Hopeline:1800 033 108
phone:(02) 43 971177
fax: 43 971677
Website: www.acadd.org
“Touching Lives”
christa@acadd.com.au
Services
•Pathology – regular urine testing
•Medical Care – from a designated local doctor’s surgery
•Psychological Counselling
•Drug and Alcohol Counselling
•Provided in House Department of Human Services accredited parenting courses
•Provided Court reports as required by various Government Departments
•Provided clients with transport to and from appointments – solicitors, courts, Human Service
Departments, medical appointments including: dental physiotherapy, hospital attendance
for expectant mothers, Centrelink appointments.
•Activities – indoor sport, outdoor sport, gymnasium, boxing training, meditation groups,
Shopping weekly
• Security – cameras weekend night watchman, regular night watchman
• Rehabilitation Program activities and book work
• Meeting attendance
• Provided Family Support – Family visiting weekends with full drug checks and supervision
• Education materials for rehabilitation of clients as well as the families.
• Groups, Course attendance in house
Then there is the added requirement of the organisation administration cost and overheads.
All this and more for $ 36.42 per day
Referrals for admission came from The Department of Human Services, The
Department of Corrective Services, Hospitals, Doctor’s Surgeries, Medical Centres,
other Rehabilitation Centres, the ACADD Web Page enquiries, and families phoning the
1800 Hopeline. – All over Australia
No government submission for funding ever came to fruition during the 6 years operation at
Canton Beach.
Over the past year every effort was made to meet the arrears in rent however to sustain the
maximum client capacity under the current existing conditions led to the property being
reclaimed.

5. THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE INC.
Challenging Ignorance and Stigma in Australia
 Education and Information
 Hope and Forgiveness
 Freedom from Addiction
A.C.A.D.D.
2-6 Kantara Road
CANTON BEACH.
NSW. 2263
ABN: 30 246 316 893
Hopeline:1800 033 108
phone:(02) 43 971177
fax: 43 971677
Website: www.acadd.org
“Touching Lives”
christa@acadd.com.au
On closure The Canton Beach Family Addictions Recovery Centre carried 150
outstanding assessments for entry from men women and children waiting for
rehabilitation.
Other Rehabilitation Centres have 8 to 12 week waiting lists or are also closing down
due to lack of Government Funding. Recently Kamira Rehabilitation Centre declared
their need for funding assistance.
We encourage the Federal Government to seriously look into the need for affordable
rehabilitation and treatment for the overwhelming amount of families affected by alcohol and
drug addiction as a maximum priority to meet the proven demand. There is no health care
cover for any addiction rehabilitation and $ 36.42 per day per client just doesn’t cover the
required need and duty of care for addiction clients.
The Australian Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Inc. on behalf of The Canton
Beach Family Addictions Recovery Centre, extends its gratitude to all Committee members,
staff and volunteers, Community agencies, private businesses, Accountants, Solicitors,
Medical Centres, Doctors, Psychologists, who dedicatedly gave professional services,
support and assistance over the years and regrets these most unfortunate circumstances.
We wish all the families and clients involved to the Australian Council on Alcoholism and Drug
Dependence Inc. and Canton Beach Family Addiction Recovery Centre, the very best with
their recovery from addiction and in God’s Grace continue long lived sobriety and clean time,
freedom from addiction.
We put up an urgent plea for the Federal Government to assist all addiction Rehabilitation
Services to survive and request the Federal Government take an urgent look at what the
client has to pay on their Centrelink Benefit to receive the rehabilitation and treatment they
need and to make Rehabilitation Centres viable.
We also seek the assistance of anyone willing to take a stand and assist the Australian
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Inc. to resolve its financial issues and would
welcome all the support and help to continue to offer family addiction rehabilitation to families
in Australia.
Sincerely
Christa Bidgood
Project Administrator

6. THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE INC.
Challenging Ignorance and Stigma in Australia
 Education and Information
 Hope and Forgiveness
 Freedom from Addiction
A.C.A.D.D.
2-6 Kantara Road
CANTON BEACH.
NSW. 2263
ABN: 30 246 316 893
Hopeline:1800 033 108
phone:(02) 43 971177
fax: 43 971677
Website: www.acadd.org
“Touching Lives”
christa@acadd.com.au
Contact 0422835700