NSW Law Society president Joanne van der Plaat worried by Dubbo drug court delay

Last month, Dugald Saunders MP and Attorney-General Mark Speakman changed the date saying the drug court will only begin next year, without telling the public why it was pushed back.

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The president of The Law Society of NSW, Joanne van der Plaat told the Daily Liberal they "very much welcomed" the expansion of the drug court to Dubbo. However, she is worried by the fact that it still hasn't come to fruition.

"...it is a matter of concern that it is not yet operational," Ms van der Plaat said.

The Dubbo drug court, planned to sit from February 20, 2023, offers up to 80 offenders the opportunity to participate in the year-long program.

Ms van der Plaat said the drug court was a proven approach to reducing drug-related reoffending and helping serious drug offenders deal with the causes of their offending.

"...the delay in its implementation has denied offenders the urgent help they need to get their lives back on track," Ms van der Plaat said.

The decision to have a drug court in this region came after the special commission of an inquiry into 'ice' recommended it in its report. The inquiry revealed that every year almost 8,000 people were in NSW jails living with an ice addiction.

The report's author Dan Howard had engaged in roundtable discussions with Indigenous communities during his research. He told the Law Society Journal he had heard many "heartbreaking" stories about people struggling to access treatment facilities and help for their addiction.

"I am still haunted by seeing some Elders in tears at the extent of the problem that is not being addressed in their communities," Mr Howard said.

"I don't mean to single out Indigenous people because this problem affects everybody right across society. But their pleas have especially been ignored and it won't do."

He also pointed to the Pennington Institute whose annual overdose report stated that for the last seven years, more people had died from drug overdoses than car accidents.

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