27 March 2001

DRY ZONE - RELEASE ALL REPORTS

UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide is calling on the Adelaide City Council and State Government to release all the reports that have been prepared on the Adelaide dry zone issue over the last 12 months.

Rev Dr Geoff Scott, Minister of the Mission, said “the leaking of just one of the reports prepared for Council, over the weekend, was disappointing because it skews a very important public debate.”

“For there to be an effective resolution of this long running issue, all major stakeholders must be an ongoing part of the discussions and must agree with the decisions that are negotiated. For this to occur we need all of the available information”, added Rev Scott.

UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide is a major provider of services in the inner city area and provides significant services aimed at reducing the impacts of drug and alcohol addiction. As such, ACM has been actively involved in public forums and working groups aimed at developing an understanding of and solutions to the concerns about drunkenness and public safety.

For example, Senior Policy Officer Mark Henley participated in a series of public discussions, before Christmas, that resulted in a report to Council by Hassell consultants. Mr Henley said “I am aware that these public forums were overwhelmingly opposed to implementing a dry zone, and concentrated on developing creative solutions, yet these reports have not been made available for public scrutiny, nor have they been leaked! Releasing all available information for public scrutiny is a crucial next step in resolving the issues”

For Further Comment
Mark Henley Senior Policy Officer	(08) 8202 5135 (b) 0404 067 011 (mob) (08) 8370 1112 (ah)