Paul Green, the Christian Democratic Party's NSW election candidate for the Legislative Council, has called on the Liberals and Nationals to back state Labor's promise to build a drug detox and rehabilitation facility in Dubbo.
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Campaigning in the city ahead of the March 23 poll, the former nurse and pastor said such a facility was needed to curb high rates of amphetamine use in regional areas.
"We need a network of localised drug and alcohol rehab services across regional NSW," he said.
"Addiction is crushing to our community, crime rates, health services and families.
"It leads to devastating domestic violence, psychological and legal issues."
Mr Green said his position on this issue has been informed by his work as a member of a committee that inquired into the provision of drug rehabilitation services in regional, rural and remote NSW.
That inquiry called on the state government to pilot a drug court in Dubbo, in parallel with an increase in rehabilitation services.
"If re-elected this [securing government support for a facility] will be one of my highest priorities," Mr Green promised before attacking the Coalition's refusal to make a similar promise to build the drug detox facility.
"They [the Liberal and National Coalition] need to come out and commit to building this sooner rather than later, before the election."
When asked about another drug-related policy, Mr Green said while his party opposes pill testing, he was "open to saving lives at music festivals" and didn't "...want any dead teenagers".
"We oppose drug testing because drugs are dangerous and the best way to avoid dying from them is to not take them at all."
Mr Green, a Legislative Council member since 2011, said his party held the balance of power there for the past eight years and claimed to be a friend of farmers.
"When the Liberals and Nationals have let farmers down we've been there supporting them.
"When the Shooters tried to abolish the Native Vegetation Act, we stood up for farmers."
While critical of the Coalition's refusal to support a drug detox facility, Mr Green said he was proud of how his party worked with the government since it swept to power in 2011.
"NSW has come from number eight in the country to number one, and while unemployment is higher in regional areas, the NSW unemployment rate is the lowest on record.
"We want to make sure NSW continues to prosper because a strong economy is linked with a strong society."
