A life free from fear is the least we owe older Australians. Yet many elderly residents in the mid-north coast town of Kempsey are living in terror inside their own homes and walking the streets of their town suspicious and frightened of their fellow citizens. 
A spate of home invasions marked by a level of violence difficult to comprehend in a picturesque country town has marred the twilight years of some of the town's most active and respected community members. As a result, not only have individual lives been blighted but the very fabric of the town has been damaged.
The failure of police to catch the masked assailants in the majority of cases has left the victims feeling vulnerable and unsure if the person they walk past on the pavement might be the man who smashed an iron bar through their bathroom door.
Although without more arrests it is hard to be definitive, the angry and irrational state of the attackers makes it highly likely they were users of crystal methamphetamine, or ice. That vulnerable older Australians are now likely to be among the victims of this drug is yet another reminder of its insidious nature and the need to counter its advance through the cities and country towns of the nation.
In highlighting the challenges facing Kempsey we do not seek to brand an entire town, but to shine a light on the difficulties that such communities face.
We can debate whether Australia is experiencing an "ice epidemic" and the usefulness of such emotive terms, but let's not be distracted from the fact that the drug is causing harm and needs an effective strategy to address it. A complex problem requires a holistic response that reduces supply via law enforcement but also reduces demand and minimises harm. Yet, of the $1.7 billion our nine Australian governments spent on tackling drugs in 2009-10, just 9 per cent went to prevention, according to drug law reform advocate Alex Wodak, 21 per cent to treatment, 2 per cent to harm reduction and 66 per cent to law enforcement.
The federal government's response to the final report of its national ice taskforce offers a chance to redress this imbalance. Leaks suggest the taskforce has called for governments at all levels to put more effort into community support programs, treatment and education. Experts are urging the Turnbull government to ensure these are funded to fairly reflect their importance. The acknowledgement from the Minister for Justice Michael Keenan that ice is "not a problem we are going to be able to police our way out of" is welcome. Let's hope this sentiment is backed up with real money and strategic thinking.
Meanwhile, in Kempsey, elderly residents who love their town with a passion feel the authorities are letting them down. Government and non-government services have gravitated towards the coastal towns of Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, leaving them to rely on drive-in, drive-out providers with, some fear, less incentive to tackle Kempsey's issues. The Baird government's response to the region's ice problem appears woefully inadequate with no residential treatment facility in the pipeline. Amphetamine trafficking offences, assault rates and home break-ins in Kempsey track well above the state average. The town and its older residents deserve better.