WITH an estimated one in every five Aboriginal people in Australia battling gambling addiction a new program designed to tackle the problem was launched in Orange on Tuesday.
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The manager of the Warruwi Gambling Help program Ashley Gordon said it’s important for Orange’s health, housing and welfare sectors to work together to address the problem and look for solutions.
Mr Gordon said the state government funded Warruwi Gambling Help program focuses on around 30 Aboriginal communities a year, with Orange one of the cities it will focus on over the next 12 months.
“We go where there is a high population of Aboriginal people,” he said.
“We talk to stakeholders about how gambling could be playing a role in their client’s life.
“We find that if unemployment is high, gambling is high too.”
Mr Gordon said his program would work with elders from the Aboriginal community as well as existing men’s and women’s sheds groups, and organisations such as Lifeline.
“We may work in partnerships with these groups or start programs from scratch,” he said.
Mr Gordon said he expected Orange to have similar gambling problems to Bathurst and Dubbo.
He said research had showed Aboriginal people were sometimes unaware of the services available in their community and unsure of the benefits they provided.
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au
