By KATH GANNAWAY
WARBURTON residents opposed to the relocation of a drug rehabilitation in the township say despite reassurances, there is no accountability for the safe running of the facility.
Narconon is proposing to move their isolated East Warburton drug rehabilitation centre into Warburton township, close to homes and the local primary school.
The planning application before Yarra Ranges Council seeks approval to run the centre at the Green Gables Conference Centre as an ‘education facility’ providing residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
In a letter to the Mail, resident Nicole Fox called on Yarra Ranges’ town planners to reject the planning application, saying it is not accredited and not accountable as it does not receive government funding for its programs.
“It is not subject to the regulations imposed by the Victorian Department of Health on similar hospital-based rehabilitation facilities. There is no accreditation process. There is no regulatory body that maintains a standard of practice,” Ms Fox wrote.
Her claims have been verified by the State Government’s Health and Education departments that say Narconon doesn’t come under their watch.
Health Department spokesman Graham Walker said drug services that received government funding were on service agreements, but that Narconon didn’t fit that model.
“The advice we have is that this program is based on education and counselling and there is nothing that prevents people calling themselves educators or counsellors– they are not positions that require formalised qualifications.
“Given that this organisation appears to offer education, nutrition, detoxification and so on, it doesn’t fall within the boundaries of providing medications and treatments,” he said.
Ms Lynn Glover director of the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority that registers accreditation education providers, said neither Narconon, nor the Association for Better Living and Education, under which name the planning application had been lodged, were registered by the VRQA.
“Organisations may operate as education facilities and provide non-accredited training,” she said.
“I have reviewed the Narconon website and the do not purport to offer accredited training.”
Ms Fox however said that concerns raised about Narconon facilities in other parts of the world should sound alarm bells about the lack of regulation and accountability.
“In other countries, there are numerous examples of a monitoring body having a direct impact on the drug and rehabilitation services provided by Narconon,” she said.
“Who is going to hold them accouantable here,”
Paul Jackson, spokesperson for SayNoToNarcononinWarburton group said the group had been advised it was unlikely that the matter would go before Yarra Ranges Council this year.
The Mail did not receive a response from Narconon regarding concerns about accountability and their status as an ‘education facility’.
