Moves to reduce the level of staffing at a proposed drug and alcohol rehab centre in Dennington have won the backing of Warrnambool councillors, but the fight to get the facility up and running is not over.
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The final decision rests with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal which last year imposed the staffing conditions on the facility - conditions the proponents say are at least 30 per cent higher than every other state-funded facility of its type in Victoria.
Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre director Geoff Soma welcomed the council's decision on staffing at the proposed 20-bed facility and said it would be a "significant boost" to its case.
He said the tribunal's original decision in relation to staffing numbers had had an "unintended consequence" and made the project unviable.
The tribunal will decide later this month after a two-day hearing in Melbourne on February 24 and 25, if it will overturn its own decision.
Despite the council initially knocking back the proposed Lookout facility at 43 Atkinsons Lane last year, councillors voted at Monday night's meeting 3-2 in support of reducing the number of staff.
Crs Peter Hulin and David Owen voted against while Crs Kylie Gaston, Robert Anderson and mayor Tony Herbert voted for it. Cr Sue Cassidy declared a conflict of interest and didn't vote.
Cr Hulin said it was disappointing that original talk about building a rural facility in the Horne Road area wasn't pursued. That land, he said, had only recently been sold.
"I feel incredibly sorry for the community that because of cost, and cost alone, the wish of council has been overruled by VCAT which are people who don't live in this area," he said.
"We've got one issue here of ice-addicted people, we've also got the mental health of people who live in that area.
"Nobody can tell me, honestly, that having this facility in that area is not going to affect the health of people who live in that area.
"This has been inflicted on them with no care for them and what they wanted."
Cr Anderson said a visit to a similar facility in Ballarat last week was a humbling experience and he was "absolutely blown away" by what he saw.
In supporting the staffing numbers, Cr Herbert said the Ballarat facility was located in a residential area and after being open for 18 months there had been no incidents.
Cr Owen said he could imagine if there were too many staff around it would almost feel like you're in prison.
Mr Soma said WRAD had been working on The Lookout project for three-and-a-half years and the community had raised $630,000 towards the project while WRAD had chipped in $600,000.
Even if WRAD gets the OK from VCAT, it still needs to get ongoing operational funding from the Department Health and Human Services, but it is quietly confident that would happen.
Mr Soma said the project had the support of local businesses, philanthropic trusts, Rotary Club of Warrnambool Central and local health agencies, community organisations and Aboriginal partnerships.
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