A sobering up centre for First Nations communities around Geelong is expected to be open within months.
The state government decriminalised public drunkenness in November and has opened a sobering up centre to the general public in Collingwood, while an Indigenous centre is earmarked for St Kilda.
Most major regional centres including Geelong are set to have First Nations only recovery centres that will be run by local Aboriginal cooperatives, with Shepparton the first city to have one up and running.
The contract with Victoria’s health department for the Geelong service is with the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, who started operating regional outreach services in November.
Geelong MP Chris Couzens says Shepparton’s “place of safety” is being monitored as a model for how other regional centres will be run and Geelong’s will “be in place in coming months,” though she did not say where it will be.
“We’ve taken the view that this is to be health led, and that public intoxication is not a crime,” she said.
Ms Couzens says there is currently no scope to open the regional recovery centres to the rest of the population, but government will be “monitoring that”.
“At the moment we don’t believe there’s the demand, obviously in Melbourne there’s been over 3,000 people use that service which is great.”
