Drug testing: Canterbury-Bankstown residents say they are welfare ‘guinea pigs’

The Turnbull government's choice of Canterbury-Bankstown as the first of three locations for a controversial drug testing trial of new job seekers for ice, ecstasy and marijuana has drawn mixed reactions from the community.

People stand outside a Centrelink office in Brisbane, Monday, March 21, 2016. Public Servants at Federal Governments department have begun striking nationwide after failed pay negotiations. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING

People stand outside a Centrelink office in Brisbane, Monday, March 21, 2016. Source: AAP

悉尼的Canterbury-Bankstown地区将成为三个试点地区的首个,当地新注册的福利金领取人数高,因吸食冰毒而入院治疗的人数也增长迅速。

这一举措的试行时间为两年,在三个试点地区有大约五千人会受到影响,包括在Canterbury-Bankstown地区有1750人。

在该计划下,所有毒品检测结果呈阳性的人,将被转为使用无现金福利卡以筛控他们的福利金使用;那些测试结果两次未过关的人,将被提交给医疗人员进行测试和治疗。政府拨款一千万用来帮助那些检测结果两次以上呈阳性的就业者。

测试将在当地的Centrelink中心或附近的一处设施进行。政府称测试将由吸毒测试供应商下的“资历合适的代表”,在保护隐私的情况下进行,测试结果不会与警方共享。

联邦社会服务部长克里斯蒂安·波特表示,警方收到因吸食安非他命而导致的违法事件数量在持续上升,相关事件在某些地区一年甚至增加约27%.

“我们周边地区因使用冰毒而入院治疗的人数显著增加,在过去4年增长了2000%;这是因吸食安非他命而导致的问题,不容忽视。我们希望通过运用毒品测试这个福利系统的重要杠杆,来识别那些因吸毒而无法就业或产生其它问题的人,去改变他们的行为。解决了这个问题,也就扫除了他们的就业障碍。”

这一举措引发多方讨论。悉尼圣文森特医院酒精毒品医护服务临床主任Nadine Ezard医生对ABC表示,没有证据显示毒品测试能增加就业,或者帮助那些有滥用物质的人士重返就业岗位。

 


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