Arabic version: إغلاق مركز وورابيندا للتأهيل بعد إنهاء عقد الإيجار

According to ABC News, the Mimosa Creek Healing Centre, Woorabinda’s only alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre, has closed after 14 years of operation. The centre, in the Indigenous community south-west of Rockhampton, provided residential rehabilitation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.

The facility opened in 2012 and was operated by not-for-profit organisation Central Queensland Indigenous Development (CQID). In March, the Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council decided during a trustee meeting to terminate CQID’s lease. Meeting minutes said the tied-vote decision followed community sentiment reflecting “genuine concern” about whether the service was culturally appropriate for Aboriginal men and whether participants were achieving sustained recovery outcomes.

CQID chief executive Jason Field said the organisation had not been given details of the concerns beyond the publicly available council minutes. He said CQID had secured future operational funding, but the council instructed the team to leave the premises by July 8. Mr Field said CQID requested two meetings and sent four letters seeking a review or reversal of the decision.

CQID has found another Woorabinda location for services including drug and alcohol support, family support, youth support, and foster and kinship care. However, it cannot continue residential rehabilitation because the new site is not fit for that purpose, and there is no set opening date. CQID said it had not been told of any new plans for the Mimosa Creek Healing Centre building. The council was contacted for comment.