Monthly Newsletter | Edition 30

Editorial

Dear Colleagues, 

The announcement of the fixed site for the Victorian Pill Testing Service is an important milestone in efforts to reduce drug related harm in the community. It comes after a long period of advocacy for this public health service to limit the risks that arise from the illicit drug market, including drugs being adulterated with deadly synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes. VAADA congratulates the Victorian Government for its leadership in implementing alcohol and other drug harm reduction measures such as drug checking, as well sobering up services, the safe injecting room and increasing public access to the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone. At a time when the proportion of national expenditure on harm reduction as a response to alcohol and other drug use is decreasing, the Victorian Government is leading the way in providing an evidence based, health led approach to dealing with complex issues.

These services are important, not only because they connect Victorians with health services in the context of alcohol and other drug use, often for the first time, but because they provide a policy environment that humanises alcohol and other drug use as something that affects us. With 1 in 5 Australians having used an illicit substance in the last 12 months, the ongoing challenges around implementing approaches to save lives even after they are legislated is frustrating. This currently includes some health services directing staff not to administer naloxone in the event of an overdose without calling 000, Victoria Police not incorporating naloxone into their first aid toolkit and GPs declining to prescribe opioid replacement therapies to help people move away from illicit drug use. To see a recent campaign against a long-standing Needle & Syringe Program in southeast Melbourne, one of the greatest public health measures ever implemented in Australia that curbed the spread of HIV, embodies how evidence based drug policy always seems to be at risk of regression because of stigma and discrimination.

The 2025 AOD Service Providers Conference provided a great platform to showcase some of this outstanding work. More than 300 people from across Victoria attended hearing presentations from the Minister for Mental Health the Hon. Ingrid Stitt, the Chief Addiction Medicine Advisor Dr Paul MacCartney and Marie Mitchell, Director of Community Justice Program at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. With a presentation from the Public Intoxication Response team at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, cohealth and Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Corporation moving the audience with what it has achieved since the decriminalisation of public intoxication in 2023, a welcome refocus on alcohol policy and its harms, and the interesting work in psychedelic assisted therapies, the feedback from this year’s SPC has been overwhelmingly positive! Thank you to the team at VAADA who delivered an outstanding event, and for all your work in building the capacity and strength of our sector.

Chris Christoforou
Chief Executive Officer

Contents

VAADA Updates

Farewell and Thank You James Petty

This month, we farewell Dr James Petty, VAADA’s Senior Policy and Research Officer.

Since joining VAADA, James has made a significant contribution to our policy, project and advocacy work, bringing a deep understanding of the complex issues that shape Victoria’s AOD landscape. His thoughtful approach, sharp analysis, and commitment to evidence-based reform have strengthened our sector and supported better outcomes for the AOD community.

James will be moving on to an exciting opportunity at the Alcohol and Drug Foundation. While we’re sad to see him go, we’re delighted he’ll continue to contribute to the AOD sector and look forward to collaborating in new ways.

Family Violence

Weaponised and Stigmatised
Substance Use in the Context of Family Violence

We’re pleased to share a new infographic designed to support understanding of the complex and often misunderstood relationship between substance use and family violence.

In both research and practice, the connection between substance use and family violence is well recognised — though it is often oversimplified or underexplored. In the context of family violence, substance use can escalate the severity of harm, increase risk, and be weaponised to exert control.

While not everyone who uses substances perpetrates family violence, and not all people who experience family violence use substances, the intersections are clear. Understanding the harms associated with both is essential to building safer, more supportive systems — and ultimately, safer communities. 

This infographic brings together current research to support a deeper understanding of how these experiences intersect across substance use, mental health, and family violence. It has been designed to build our shared capacity to recognise these complexities in practice, reflect them in policy, and inform future resourcing and response.
 

Workforce Development

Sector Updates