The Salvation Army Welcomes National Ice Taskforce Announcement

The Salvation Army strongly welcomes today’s announcement by the Australian Government of the National Ice Action Strategy and National Ice Taskforce.

The Salvation Army looks forward to the opportunity to contribute to this taskforce and is willing to provide the Australian Government with any assistance necessary in the fight against Ice.

Gerard Byrne, Clinical Director of Recovery Services for The Salvation Army says today's announcement is a positive development in the fight against the proliferation and availability of Ice and other amphetamine-like drugs in Australian communities.

“We definitely welcome today’s announcement,” said Mr Byrne.

“Every day we are seeing more people coming into our recovery services suffering the serious mental and physical health impacts of Ice. People need to know Ice is highly addictive and causes in many cases permanent psychiatric illnesses. Ice does not discriminate and it affects people from all walks of life. Through the nineties society battled heroin, this battle now includes Ice and other amphetamine-like drugs.” said Mr Byrne.

The Salvation Army is uniquely placed to contribute to this taskforce having assisted Australians suffering from addiction for over 100 years.

“The Salvation Army is one of the few organisations which has treatment centres all around Australia. We have a national reach which is vital in this fight against Ice and amphetamine-like drugs,” said Mr Byrne.

Major Brendan Nottle who works for The Salvation Army in Melbourne’s CBD says the emergence of Ice on the streets is a major concern.

“The degree of violence that accompanies the use of ice is extreme,” Major Nottle said.

“This drug is not only destroying the lives of those who become addicted to it, it is also impacting their families and society at large. This is a massive community issue and unless we work together, the impacts will be far reaching.”

If you know you are suffering addiction, please contact us for advice and support. You can find our contact details on our website at salvos.org.au/recovery