Joe Gordon and Jason Chatfield report it is hard to get people with addiction to travel hundreds of kilometres away from home to get clean and on the road to recovery.

On Friday the pair were there as Labor committed up to $20 million to deliver a detox and rehabilitation clinic to Dubbo.

Five years sober, Mr Chatfield said from his own experience one of the hardest things about seeking help was leaving your family behind.

He said it was the reason that had stopped him from going into rehabilitation sooner.

Mr Chatfield and Mr Gordon were present as opposition spokesman for health Walt Secord announced the party would deliver the clinic if elected on March 23.

Standing with Country Labor candidate Stephen Lawrence, Mr Secord committed to the clinic opening within the first term of government.

It was one of six pledged by the party, the first one announced, and an “ironclad commitment”.

“...It’s been a long campaign, I know the community wants it and I know that families want it,' he said.

Mr Secord said Labor in government would establish the clinic even if Mr Lawrence was not elected.

“I would love Stephen to be the member here, but it’s not contingent on his election, it’s about providing services where they are needed,” he said.

Mr Lawrence greeted the announcement with applause.

He said he had been passionate about the campaign for a long time, and had been elected to Dubbo Regional Council in part on a platform that Dubbo needed a rehab centre.

“We have to face that we cannot arrest our way out of the problem,” he said.

“We have to provide sensible rehabilitation paths for young people caught in the grip of ice.”

Nationals candidate for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said Labor had announced plans for six drug rehabilitation centres at a cost of $100 million in 2018, and labelled Friday a “panic move” to “re-announce an old policy”.

He said tackling drug and alcohol abuse was a key priority for him and the Nationals.

“My support for a Drug Court and a residential rehabilitation centre in Dubbo or the region is as strong as ever,” he said.

He highlighted action already being taken by the Coalition, including a 2018-19 budget commitment of $225.3 million to alcohol and other drug services.

A retired judge and advocate for services to tackle drug addiction has welcomed an election promise by Labor to establish six detox and rehabilitation centres, including one at Dubbo.

John Nicholson SC said there would be a number of advantages from the move, including in health and safety.

He attended the announcement by opposition spokesman for health Walt Secord on Friday in Dubbo.

“If you... think about the value of this, it’s not just from the law point of view, it’s people’s safety, many… in fact almost all the domestic violence situations occur in circumstances where somebody is either drunk or intoxicated by drugs,” Mr Nicholson said.

He praised the announcement as being “made by the appropriate department”.

“Drug addiction, alcohol addiction are health issues, and we have shadow minister for health making the announcement, that’s terrific, because that’s in the department where it belongs,” he said.

Dubbo Regional Council mayor Ben Shields has welcomed the $20 million election commitment for a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation facility for Dubbo by the Labor Party and called on the Coalition and others to match it.

It was announced on Friday morning by Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord and Country Labor candidate for Dubbo Stephen Lawrence that a rehabilitation centre would be built in the first term of a Labor Government if elected.

It was one of six pledged by the party, the first one announced, and an “ironclad commitment”.

Cr Shields said since being elected the council had made getting a rehabilitation centre its number one social priority.

"To see a party committing to it is a great result from Dubbo,” Cr Shields said.

“What I want to see now is the Nationals and the other parties and candidates make the same commitment.

“A drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre would address some of the underlying social problems that have caused the Dubbo Region’s high crime rate so this is an important step towards reducing crime,” he said.

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