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  • WA Police Commissioner says Parents giving Alcohol to Kids are like Drug Dealers

    The Police Commissioner of Western Australia has labelled parents who provide alcohol to their underage kids as being like drug dealers.

    Karl O’Callaghan, the WA Police Commissioner said at a school in Perth that parents who supply alcohol to minors are like drug dealers, the controversial statement was made while launching “Ocsober”. Now more than ever parents need to openly discuss alcohol and related issues with their children because alcohol harm associated with young people is higher than its even been. In fact alcohol has been named as the leading cause of teenage deaths in Australia.

    Ocsober is a fundraising initiative which is aimed at tackling youth drinking issues by encouraging young people to abstain from alcohol for the month of October, hopefully addressing these problematic issues and saving lives.

    The Commissioner made the statement while speaking to year 6 students at the Ocsober launch. The Commissioner also reiterated that alcohol continues to be the most abused drug in Western Australia.

    According to an article on Abc.net.au he went on to explain:

    “If alcohol is a drug, then let me tell you that your parents are the primary dealers of that drug because we know from research that most teenagers in Western

    Australia get their alcohol from their parents,” he said.

    “Their parents give it to them without knowing the impact it has on their brains and without knowing the impact it has on their bodies.

    “And, if we want to make a difference to binge drinking, we have to start with educating kids and parents.”

    Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-16/commissioner-likens-parents-who-give-alcohol-to-kids-27drug-de/4961080

    Donations for Ocsober will go towards continuing Life Education’s alcohol and drug awareness programs which run throughout WA’s primary schools.

    Mr O’Callaghan has also renewed his call on federal authorities to ban alcohol advertising during televised sports broadcasts because of the number of children that are exposed to it during these times.

    The post went on to quote O’Callaghan:

    “All of these kids are able to watch the footy final [this weekend] and all of these kids will be able to watch alcohol advertising during live sport because alcohol advertising is permitted during live sport in Australia,” he said.

    “If you’re going to change the culture, you’ve got to change the messages you send to our kids, and when I asked how many of these kids were going to watch the football on the weekend, all of them without exception put their hands up.”

    “I don’t think we’ve got any hope of changing the culture with these young people, unless we’re prepared to limit their exposure to messages about alcohol.”

    Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-16/commissioner-likens-parents-who-give-alcohol-to-kids-27drug-de/4961080

    With all the attention and effort being put into this Ocsober initiative and others trying to educate teens about drinking it is important that RSA do not undo all the good work done.

    Anyone serving alcohol needs to ensure that they never serve alcohol to an underage person. The best way of ensuring this is asking everyone for an ID if they look young (under 23) and ensure that if they cannot prove their age, you refuse them alcohol.

  • Health Experts Warn WA Govt. against Downgrading Rehab Services

    Health experts in WA have warned the state government not to downgrade any drug addiction services in the state in the midst of a merger of 2 vital government health departments, especially because recent figures have revealed that clinics are having to cope with increased cases of alcohol and cannabis problems including an increase in helpline calls from parents.

    According to statistics alcohol related hospital admissions rose by almost 40 per cent since 2007 until last year.

    The WA governments Drug and Alcohol Office annual report shows treatments in 2012-2013 rose 16 per cent to almost 33,000. The report shows that services at sobering up clinics increased 28 per cent to more than 15,000.

    Also increasing are the number of calls to the 24 hour Alcohol and Drug Information Service hotlines and the Parent Drug Information Service. The number of calls about cannabis increased dramatically in the last five years – almost doubling.

    An article about the report was posted on http://au.news.yahoo.com, the following excerpt from the post explains further:

    The report said WA’s rate of risky drinking was higher than the national average and though fewer children drank alcohol, those who did consumed more.

    Curtin University professor of health policy Mike Daube said the figures heightened concerns about the State Government’s planned merger of the DAO with the Mental Health Commission and argued it was crucial neither lost funding.

    Mental Health Minister Helen Morton announced five months ago that the two agencies would amalgamate to improve prevention and treatment services.

    She said the sectors had a big overlap, with studies showing half those with mental illness also had a drug or alcohol problem.

    Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/19130339/more-want-help-for-alcohol-and-drug-woes/

    According to the Drug and Alcohol Office’s chairman Gary Geelhoed, services in WA are under an increasing amount of pressure and the work that they are doing is vital, it cannot be stopped.

    Young people are an area of particular concern because they are increasingly being exposed to drugs and excessive alcohol. Alcohol and drug addiction have become major problems among the younger members of the population. Binge drinking is one of the issues that are fuelling the problem.

    The planned merger should not be allowed to interfere with drug and alcohol treatment in any way, according to Professor Daube. He went on to explain that although Minister Morton did have a strong commitment to the cause, the merger seemed to put drug and alcohol issues on the backburner and thereby downplay their importance.

    The post went on to explain:

    He said it was an odd time to downgrade, particularly with more parents worried about alcohol. He was frustrated that the Liquor Control Act review to address concerns had been delayed again.

    The Australian Medical Association said it discussed with Mrs Morton concerns about the merger and still had reservations about the decision.

    It warned the move could send the wrong message to people seeking medical help through the two sectors.

    Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/19130339/more-want-help-for-alcohol-and-drug-woes/

  • Health Experts Warn WA Govt. against Downgrading Rehab Services

    Health experts in WA have warned the state government not to downgrade any drug addiction services in the state in the midst of a merger of 2 vital government health departments, especially because recent figures have revealed that clinics are having to cope with increased cases of alcohol and cannabis problems including an increase in helpline calls from parents.

    According to statistics alcohol related hospital admissions rose by almost 40 per cent since 2007 until last year.

    The WA governments Drug and Alcohol Office annual report shows treatments in 2012-2013 rose 16 per cent to almost 33,000. The report shows that services at sobering up clinics increased 28 per cent to more than 15,000.

    Also increasing are the number of calls to the 24 hour Alcohol and Drug Information Service hotlines and the Parent Drug Information Service. The number of calls about cannabis increased dramatically in the last five years – almost doubling.

    An article about the report was posted on http://au.news.yahoo.com, the following excerpt from the post explains further:

    The report said WA’s rate of risky drinking was higher than the national average and though fewer children drank alcohol, those who did consumed more.

    Curtin University professor of health policy Mike Daube said the figures heightened concerns about the State Government’s planned merger of the DAO with the Mental Health Commission and argued it was crucial neither lost funding.

    Mental Health Minister Helen Morton announced five months ago that the two agencies would amalgamate to improve prevention and treatment services.

    She said the sectors had a big overlap, with studies showing half those with mental illness also had a drug or alcohol problem.

    Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/19130339/more-want-help-for-alcohol-and-drug-woes/

    According to the Drug and Alcohol Office’s chairman Gary Geelhoed, services in WA are under an increasing amount of pressure and the work that they are doing is vital, it cannot be stopped.

    Young people are an area of particular concern because they are increasingly being exposed to drugs and excessive alcohol. Alcohol and drug addiction have become major problems among the younger members of the population. Binge drinking is one of the issues that are fuelling the problem.

    The planned merger should not be allowed to interfere with drug and alcohol treatment in any way, according to Professor Daube. He went on to explain that although Minister Morton did have a strong commitment to the cause, the merger seemed to put drug and alcohol issues on the backburner and thereby downplay their importance.

    The post went on to explain:

    He said it was an odd time to downgrade, particularly with more parents worried about alcohol. He was frustrated that the Liquor Control Act review to address concerns had been delayed again.

    The Australian Medical Association said it discussed with Mrs Morton concerns about the merger and still had reservations about the decision.

    It warned the move could send the wrong message to people seeking medical help through the two sectors.

    Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/19130339/more-want-help-for-alcohol-and-drug-woes/

     

  • Alcohol Affects Brain Circuitry in Pregnant Women

    As if women needed any more motivation to avoid drinking during pregnancy a new study has been released by neuroscientists and the University of California which proves that alcohol affects the brain circuitry of pregnant women. And for the baby the effects are even greater, prenatal exposure to alcohol, the study found disrupts major features of brain development and can lead to increased anxiety and poor motor functions.

    According to the groundbreaking study conducted by the team at University of California, Riverside, prenatal exposure to alcohol significantly altered the expression of genes and the development of a network of connections in the neocortex which is the part of the brain responsible for high-level thought and cognition, vision, hearing, touch, balance, motor skills, language, and emotion.

    When tested on mice prenatal exposure caused the wrong areas of the brain to be connected with each other, the researchers found. These findings contrast the belief widely held by some that small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy is acceptable.

    The following excerpt from an article on ucrtoday.ucr.edu explains:

    “If you consume alcohol when you are pregnant you can disrupt the development of your baby’s brain,” said Kelly Huffman, assistant professor of psychology at UC Riverside and lead author of the study that appears in the Nov. 27 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, the official, peer-reviewed publication of the Society of Neuroscience. Study co-authors are UCR Ph.D. students Hani El Shawa and Charles Abbott.

    “This research helps us understand how substances like alcohol impact brain development and change behavior,” Huffman explained. “It also shows how prenatal alcohol exposure generates dramatic change in the brain that leads to changes in behavior. Although this study uses a moderate- to high-dose model, others have shown that even small doses alter development of key receptors in the brain.”

    Source: http://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/19363

    This research is significant because although researchers in the past believed that ethanol exposure from a pregnant woman’s consumption of alcohol would impact the child’s brain and cognitive development, researchers have now proven that there is a connection between exposure to alcohol and the disruption of neural networks, resulting in changes in behaviour.

    The post also explains:

    Huffman’s team found dramatic changes in intraneocortical connections between the frontal, somatosensory and visual cortex in mice born to mothers who consumed ethanol during pregnancy. The changes were especially severe in the frontal cortex, which regulates motor skill learning, decision-making, planning, judgment, attention, risk-taking, executive function and sociality.

    Source: http://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/19363

    As researchers explained the neocortex region in mammals is similar, so in mice and humans it can be compared however human processing is more complex.

    For pregnant women it is best to abstain from alcoholic drinks completely rather than choose to have one or two drinks every now and then because as research proves even moderate drinking may have an impact on the foetus and even if it doesn’t, it is better to be safe than sorry.

    Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a growing disorder and the side effects and symptoms are varied in the children it affects including facial deformities, cognitive, behavioural and motor disorders because of neurobiological damage during the brain’s early development as well as mental retardations, reduced intelligence, learning disabilities, anxiety and depression later in life.

     

  • Discovering What Type of Drinker you are

    According to new VicHealth research which examined the state’s alcohol culture drinkers can be categorised according to their drinking habits.

    The research attempted to put the states alcohol culture under the microscope to examine it in a non-judgemental way to determine why alcohol is such a central part of people’s lives.

    The research is aimed at informing a new conversation about alcohol which moves beyond simply blaming individuals.

    It is hoped that the project will help us to alter our attitudes towards harmful drinking and improve the health of people in the state.

    The research was conducted by RMIT University with a grant from VicHealth Innovation Research. To determine your own drinking profile click on the link, it may open your eyes to your own drinking habits.  The profile helps you to track your drinking over time and see how your drinking evolves and hopefully figure out why and what motivates your drinking behaviour.

    It is also useful in showing just how much you drink over periods of time which may surprise you. For example while we may be aware of how much we drink in a day, when we examine our drinking over a week or a month we may be surprised.

    Take the Quiz no to find out Your Drinking Profile

    http://www.yourdrinkingprofile.com.au/

     

  • Focus on Making our Streets Safe Again

    Police in Queensland are doing their best to keep Queensland’s city streets safe over the weekend and as we approach the Christmas holiday season. In this light they have issued a stern warning to partygoers and revellers to behave, or face the consequences.

    The latest in the police’s operations was an operation dubbed “Operation Lima” which involved a clamp down on alcohol related violence and misconduct in Capricornia’s licenced venues in Rockhampton.

    Data clearly shows that in the province alcohol fuelled violence surges on the weekends and holidays in particular, affecting mostly males between the ages of 15 and 25. This age group is most at risk of being the victims of assaults but are also more likely to be the perpetrators of alcohol induced assaults.

    The following excerpt from www.themorningbulletin.com.au explains more about the Operation,

    Acting Detective Inspector Ben Carroll said the district operation was designed to reinforce the national Operation Unite, which occurs from November to December each year.

    “It’s important that police reinforce with the community that alcohol-related problems cannot be tolerated,” he said.

    “We know this time of year it gets a lot busier in the CBD area…we’ve allocated more police presence in those areas.”

    Police are hoping the increased presence will help people make better judgement calls and prevent split-second decisions which could ruin lives.

    Source: http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/police-put-regions-revellers-on-notice/2066554/

    Police are warning people that visit entertainment districts to not only be vigilant about their own safety but also to drink responsibly and not become a menace and contribute to alcohol fuelled violence.

    Remember that an intoxicated person is not only a threat to the safety of others, but is also more vulnerable to attacks because they are less aware and not in the right mental or physical state to defend themselves or act rationally.

    Police have warned that as we approach the festive season drunken misconduct will not be tolerated. It is important that licenced venues also get involved and do their part in minimising the number of alcohol fuelled incidents taking place, especially on the weekends. This can be done be firstly ensuring that all employees, regardless of position have completed their Responsible Service of Alcohol training and also by ensuring that all staff are abiding by RSA rules and enforcing them each day while serving alcohol to patrons.

    Also keep in mind that during this time of year when people are visiting Queensland on holiday and licenced venues are busier than they are at other times of the year, when employing causal staff to fill in for the summer, that they too have completed RSA training. Whether casual workers, temporary staff or people on a working holiday VISA – all must complete Responsible Service of Alcohol training and enforce the principles learnt everyday on the job.

     

  • Group wants Stronger Action to end Alcohol Fuelled Violence

    Community members and businesspeople in Byron Bay want stronger action implemented to curb alcohol fuelled violence in the area. The group, Byron Liquor Accord want the voluntary measures taken to end anti-social behaviour in Byron Bay to be made mandatory.

    The group set up by community members and businesses in the town want to combat alcohol fuelled violence in their area. The group plans on arguing for the change to be made permanent before a NSW Upper House Inquiry into alcohol abuse among young people.

    The group made their presentation before a special session of the inquiry at the Byron Sports Complex last Tuesday, October 8th.

    The following excerpt from a post on NorthernStar.com.au explains more about the group’s position:

    “Research and the experience of other places, both in Australia and overseas, indicates that a significant drop in violence can be achieved by a package of measures including a modest reduction of late-trading hours, purchase limits on drinks and the prohibition of shots and doubles,” Last Drinks at 12 spokesman Mick O’Regan said.

    “We recognize the initiative of the Byron Bay Liquor Accord in this area, although the voluntary nature of the arrangements makes enforcement a real issue.

    “Recent investigations revealed that serious breaches of the Liquor Accord occurredwithin weeks of it being signed. We need these voluntary measures to be made mandatory for all late night trading licensed venues.”

    Two Byron Bay venues – Aquarius Backpakers and LaLa Land – have landed in strife for breaching liquor laws during a Liquor Accord trial aimed at stemming the violence issue.

    Source: http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/tougher-steps-needed-end-drunken-violence-group-sa/2037751/

    Even though these 2 venues have breached liquor laws related to violence, members of the Liquor Accord are pleased that there has been a drop of 25 per cent in alcohol-related incidents during the trial so far. The trial is set to run for another 6 months, so even more improvement is anticipated.

    One of the members of the group, Mr O’Regan attributed most of Byron Bay’s alcohol woes to the “over-supply of alcohol after midnight” which he said has contributed to serious and ongoing problems which are now plaguing the community. The post on NorthernStar.com.au goes on to explain:

    Mr O’Regan said alcohol-related violence was a serious problem with far-reaching ramifications.

    “The statistics on alcohol-related violence for our community are shocking in themselves, but they don’t reveal the full story,” he said.

    “People at the frontline such as police, doctors, hospital staff and emergency personnel, have to deal with direct effects of alcohol-related harms.” 

    Source: http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/tougher-steps-needed-end-drunken-violence-group-sa/2037751/

    Byron Bay locals have also come forward and told of their experiences of alcohol related violence and anti-social behaviour, many of these people’s experiences are in addition to those reflected in the statistics. O’Regan also urged other residents to come forward to tell their stories about alcohol related violent experiences which the group hopes will shed more light on the issue.

     

  • NZ Student Dies in Car Crash fuelled by “Lethal” dose of Alcohol

    It seems that not a day passes when we don’t hear about the consequences of drink driving in the media in the form of a car crash somewhere in the world. Sadly despite the media being so rife with these “warnings” people are still risking the lives and the lives of other innocent road-users by engaging in the dangerous, irresponsible and reckless act of drink driving.

    Unfortunately drink driving isn’t the only risky behaviour, it seems that pedestrians who are intoxicated are also being run over by vehicles more often. Obviously excessive amounts of alcohol is never good but particularly so when you’re going to be out on the street, whether driving or walking, your cognitive and motor functions are impaired and that places you at risk.

    The latest tragedy involves a university student who coroners say had consumed lethal amounts of alcohol before he was hit by a car and killed.

    The young man, Geoffrey Nicholas Peren was a 20 year old Victoria University student who was hit by a car while crossing a street in central Wellington in June 2011.

    According to the coroner Mr Peren had been to a party the night before and had consumed a large amount of spirits before he left without telling anyone where he was going.

    The young man contacted his girlfriend at 10pm that night in a disorientated state, thinking that he was in Dunedin. While on the phone with his girlfriend he was hit by a car and his girlfriend heard a loud bang and Mr Peren did not say anything further. His girlfriend then ended the call.

    The young man was wearing dark clothing and crossing against the pedestrian signal when he was hit by a car being driven by a woman.

    Tragically the man suffered serious injuries to the head and died in hospital. The blood alcohol test showed Mr Peren had a level of 305 milligrams per litre of blood. The coroner explained this amount of alcohol is “clinical extreme” and potentially lethal. It also reinforces why Responsible Service of Alcohol is so important, so that we do not see more cases of this nature occurring every time a patron leaves a bar or pub.

    Most workers in the alcohol service industry are aware of the need to undergo responsible service of alcohol training however RSA training should not be looked at as just a mandatory requirement that employers force you to undergo because then you will not have incentive to enforce it (other than the legal one).

    People should look at RSA training as a service to society. Staff of licensed venues who undergo responsible service of alcohol training and enforce the rules learnt are contributing to a better society and helping people who would otherwise be put in harm’s way, risking their own health and safety and that of others.

    Servers of alcohol who perform their duties according to RSA regulations provide a duty of care that also promotes job satisfaction. Workers who are serving customers responsibly and performing their duty are happier employees and so are more productive.

     

  • South Australia Prepares for Severe Alcohol Restrictions

    Sweeping restrictions on the sale and supply of alcohol in the outback SA town of Coober Pedy have taken effect from last Monday.

    What has been described as the toughest grog laws in the country have been imposed by Liquor and Gambling Commissioner Paul White in an effort to curb alcohol abuse amongst Aboriginal people, even those from inter-state.

    Mr White was quoted on www.sbs.com.au as saying:

    “I’ve imposed a condition that says if you reside at one of the prescribed lands, which roughly speaking is the APY Lands, or some of the Northern Territory communities close to the South Australian border or Western Australia, then you cannot purchase take away alcohol from the outlets in Coober Pedy,” says Mr White.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

    What do the restrictions entail?

    There will be a complete ban on cask wine and bottled wine and spirits will be limited to one 750ml bottle per person, per day.

    Drinkers will have to produce a photo ID when buying liquor.

    The restrictions will also include a complete ban of take away alcohol for people from dry communities and a refusal of sales to people suspected of travelling to dry communities.

    According to Mr White although these restrictions seem extreme, Mr White said these restrictions weren’t imposed on these communities but that they rather requested these restrictions. Communities requested the support to assist in reducing the inflow of grog. Commissioner White will review the restrictions in 6 months.

    Mayor Steve Baines agreed with Mr White that this is a huge problem which requires attention.

    Mayor Baines was quoted as saying,

    “In the last 11 months there have been 18,200 casks of wine sold. Now we’ve got a population of 1,700 people. That’s 500 casks of wine per week, on top of 18,400 bottles,” says Mr Baines.

    Aboriginal legal advocates and the community think Coober Pedy’s been overwhelmed by people escaping grog bans elsewhere.

    “The illnesses that people get, the alcohol related violence that flows from alcohol getting into dry communities is really very severe and a very serious problem, and we think that an important impulse to stop this is to get a summit of all communities, get them all together at the same table and talking to government authorities about more effective rules to stop the liquor getting into dry communities because that’s what they want,” says Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement member Chris Charles.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

    Detox and rehabilitation facilities are expected to be inundated with calls for rehab services as people’s alcohol source is cut off due to the restrictions. Medical facilities and rehab facilities are apparently braced for this influx.

    The article goes on to explain,

    “We don’t not have a single rehabilitation service specifically for Aboriginal people in this state, and whether that’s all the other health and allied services that we need, we cannot fix the problem simply by these sort of bans; they are part of the solution, they are not the solution,” says Greens MP Tammy Franks.

    Federal funding allocated 7 years ago for rehabilitation facilities remains unspent.

    Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/26/south-australian-communities-prepare-severe-alcohol-ban

  • Road Safety Campaign aimed at Young Drivers Launched

    Young drivers are often the ones who fall victim to road crashes linked to alcohol. Now in an effort to tackle this problematic issue among the youth, Insurer AAMI and Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) have joined forces to implement a new road safety campaign aimed at young drivers.

    There is an increasing body of research that shows underage drinking as the leading cause of deaths in teenagers. Causes of teen alcohol related deaths range from drink driving, suicides and homicides related to drinking but drink driving is one of the greatest factors.

    The cleverly named P.A.R.T.Y Program aims to bring high school students into the hospital to see trauma patients first hand in an effort to shock them into doing the right thing. (P.A.R.T.Y stands for Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth). The group hopes that young people will begin to better understand the consequences of drink driving, drug driving as well as distracted driving if they see it first-hand rather than just being told of the dangers.

    According to statistics provided by AAMI, 15 per cent of young people between 15 and 25 years of age who came to NSW hospitals for treatment were there as a result of severe traumatic injuries.

    Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that over the last 5 years, 1638 young people in the same age group died as a result of road trauma without even making it to the hospital for treatment.

    A post on www.themotorreport.com.au explains more about the initiative:

    According to AAMI research, 54 percent young drivers in NSW admit to exceeding the speed limit by 10km/h or more “some of the time”; while 13 percent admit to exceeding the speed limit “at least half the time”.

    More than half admitted to sending or reading text messages while driving and 31 percent had used a phone or tablet to read emails while on the move. An alarming 90 percent said they had updated their Facebook status while driving.

    And it’s not just mobile phones and speeding that are concerning the insurer: 10 percent of young drivers admit to having driven with too many passengers in the car while 11 percent admitted to ‘making out’ while driving.

    Source: http://www.themotorreport.com.au/57384/aami-and-royal-north-shore-hospital-launch-party-road-safety-campaign

    The post also explains that students will be given time to spend with the staff from various departments in the hospital from the emergency ward, intensive care, burns unit, spinal, neurological and rehabilitation wards because these are the wards that deal with victims of road crashes and other alcohol induced mishaps.

    According to a doctor at the hospital, by exposing young people to the consequences of drink driving, it is hoped their perceptions will change and will hopefully result in more responsible behaviour.

    The post goes on to explain:

    Head of Trauma at RNSH, Dr Tony Joseph, said the students will spend time with staff from the emergency, intensive care, burns, spinal, neurosurgical and rehabilitation wards who deal with the impact of trauma on young lives.

    “By exposing them to the traumatic consequences of risk-related behaviour, we hope to change their perceptions and have a positive impact on the choices they make in the future,” Dr Joseph said.

    Source: http://www.themotorreport.com.au/57384/aami-and-royal-north-shore-hospital-launch-party-road-safety-campaign

    A similar program was carried out at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and of the students who participated, 70 per cent expressed the positive impact that the program had had on them, hopefully the NSW program will be equally successful.