Shire of Broome accuses State Govt of ‘radio silence’ after offer to help solve sobering up centre’s future

Shire of Broome president Harold Tracey has denied a “failure of leadership” led to the closure of Broome’s only sobering-up centre, and says the Mental Health Commission should take responsibility. The Walangari Shelter was the only place in Broome for intoxicated people to sober up, but it was forced to close in October because of questions over structural integrity and the presence of asbestos. In an opinion piece published on the Broome Advertiser website, West Kimberley Futures strategic operations manager Yaron Fisher said he believed the closure was “entirely preventable”. “Effective contract management by the MHC should have highlighted the need for a substitute facility or alternative service long ago,” he said. “The most recent building assessment, which found issues with asbestos and termites, was conducted in February 2020 — more than 20 months ago.” Mr Fisher also claimed the Shire of Broome was partially responsible for the closure. “The Shire of Broome, while stressing the need for the SUC and decrying its closure, should examine its own failure of leadership and responsibilities in this area,” he said. “If the SUC is a critical community facility as the Shire claims, why has it not sought to invest in renovating the facility or building a suitable replacement? “Are nicer carparks, fancier footpaths and flashy public art more important than looking after Broome’s most vulnerable?” Mr Tracey said Mr Fisher’s comments were ludicrous. “The Shire first learnt of the structural problems at the site back in June of 2020,” he said. “Our officers then liaised with representatives from the MHC. We made it clear we would do anything in our power to help solve the issues. “One of our officers then followed up with a number of emails in early September and was told the MHC was investigating their options and would get back to us.” Mr Tracey said after the September 2020 emails, the Shire received no communication from the MHC until just a few days before the shelter’s closure. “There was radio silence for about 14 months after we told them we would do anything in our power to help — then we suddenly received an email saying ‘the SUC will close in two weeks, give us somewhere to go’,” he said. “We hadn’t heard a single thing from anyone in the time between, and it seems nothing was done to fix the issues with the building — a second engineers report found all the issues identified in 2020 building assessment had just gotten worse.” An MHC spokesperson said the commission was working with the Shire of Broome and other stakeholders to secure an appropriate location for the Broome SUC. “The commission is also progressing discussions with all stakeholders about a longer-term solution,” they said. A 2019 review of sobering-up centres found they were a crucial harm-minimisation service for vulnerable people who needed a safe place to spend the night.