Service provider Palmerston relieved by $12.4m for residential rehabilitation facility in the Great Southern

The Great Southern’s largest alcohol and drugs service provider is relieved that more than $12 million of funding is locked in for a residential rehabilitation facility from the State Government. Funding of $12.4m was dedicated to delivering the alcohol and other drugs rehab in last Thursday’s State Budget, with an initial $1.5m set aside for 2025-26, before an annual rollout of $3.5m-$3.7m over the following three years. Palmerston chief executive Emma Jarvis, who heads the region’s only designated AOD service provider, said the facility would address a “critical gap” in local addiction treatment services. “Over the past decade, Palmerston has seen a significant rise in demand for AOD services across WA, particularly related to alcohol and methamphetamine use,” she said. “Currently, a large number of referrals to our residential Therapeutic Communities in the South West and Perth metro come from the Great Southern. “However, many people face substantial barriers — such as distance, travel costs, and the emotional toll of being far from home — which prevent them from accessing or completing these programs. “Having a local residential service will reduce these barriers and allow people to access treatment closer to their families, communities, and country.” Then-health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson travelled to Albany to make the election commitment for an approximately 20-bed facility and withdrawal centre in January, after more than a decade of community advocacy. Ms Jarvis confirmed there was a strong appetite for the facility, backed by a community consultation led by Palmerston last year that revealed 98.7 per cent of survey participants “strongly supported” it. The Great Southern has been the only WA region without a residential rehab facility, with those needing one forced to complete a 600km round-trip to Nannup. Albany MP Scott Leary said the facility was an invaluable asset the people of Great Southern had been lobbying for for a long time. “It’s absolutely undeniable the need for this facility,” he said. “For too long Great Southern people have been battling drug addiction and have had to travel far away to get the treatment they need. “To get that service locally, where people can be close to home and get the support they need is invaluable, I’m really happy to see it on the Budget.”