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Mum of ex-addict welcomes ‘tough love’ drug tests for welfare recipients

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Shannon HamptonThe West Australian
Gill Payne, whose son had an addiction, supports random drug testing of dole recipients.
Camera IconGill Payne, whose son had an addiction, supports random drug testing of dole recipients. Credit: Ian Munro

As the mother of a son who has battled a decade-long drug addiction, Gill Payne is a firm believer in tough love.

Her now adult son, whom she did not want named, started his rapid spiral into substance abuse when he was 15 years old, after his alcoholic father began offering him his prescription sleeping pills.

His drug use intensified after the trauma of watching his father die of health issues linked to his alcoholism and binging on his father’s leftover medication.

Mrs Payne has spoken about her son’s addiction to “anything he could get his hands on”, including methamphetamine, in light of the Federal Government last week announcing its plan to force welfare recipients to undergo random drug tests.

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The two-year trial, which involves randomly testing 5000 Newstart and Youth Allowance recipients across three locations, has angered welfare advocates who argue it will create stigma around welfare users.

But Mrs Payne, of Butler, welcomed the move, saying “throwing cash” at drug addicts was “not helpful”. She said that her son, who is 26 and recovering in New Zealand, used his welfare cash to fuel his addiction.

“It was shocking the amount of drugs he would constantly source,” Mrs Payne said.

“You could guarantee when that pay cheque was going to come in, he was going to get wasted.”

VideoBut there are fears it could drive them to crime.

She said the plan resembled “tough love”, which she also enforced herself after her son became violent and refused help despite many admissions to hospital.

Mrs Payne said while it was “heartbreaking”, it was not until she refused him money and forced him out of her house that he began to see the effect his lifestyle was having on his family.

“If you keep cleaning up their stuff and keep hearing ‘I’m a victim’, they will die being a victim,” she said.

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