Monthly Newsletter | Edition 39

Editorial

Dear Colleagues, 

It’s hard not to get despondent when there is no urgency shown by our political leaders to address the growing crisis from lack of access to timely AOD interventions and supports. The National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report released by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) last week is alarming. It continues to show enormous levels of growth in illicit drug consumption in the community, across a range of drug types. In Victoria, the exponential growth in levels of cocaine, methamphetamine and ketamine use across both metropolitan and regional Victoria over the last four years is staggering. Reading the 2026 Victorian State Budget papers you wouldn’t think there was any urgency to respond.

This was my 3^rd State Budget as VAADA CEO. During this time, there has been no increase in the number of treatment episodes for AOD assessment or counselling, despite clear unmet demand. VAADA’s waitlist survey showed that 4550 people were waiting to access a treatment type on any given day in 2025. These people are the lucky ones who have managed to get through the front door of a system that has been described as mind-bogglingly complex to navigate. There are tens of thousands of people in Victoria who could benefit from early AOD intervention but don’t know where to go for help. People who will revolve through our hospitals, our courts and prisons, and through other parts of the social service system. I understand the need to do the foundational work on a redesigned AOD service system as part of Victoria’s 10-year AOD Strategy, but can we really afford to wait another 3 years before we start seeing change?

At least the Victorian Government is incrementally increasing its annual expenditure on AOD and funding innovation and reform. The Australian Government, by contrast, has totally outsourced its responsibilities to address this health crisis. For context, the Commonwealth spends less than $10 per year per person through its Drug and Alcohol Program. This encompasses its total investments in all AOD prevention, treatment and harm reduction services. If you want to understand why there are up to 500,000 Australians who can’t get the help they want each year, you need to start here. As stated by the ACIC, “limited treatment options, particularly for methylamphetamine, constrain demand and harm reduction efforts. Integrated, multi‑agency approaches are essential to reducing harm.” We cannot afford to continue to wait for the resourcing to support coordinated action.

Chris Christoforou
Chief Executive Officer

VAADA Updates

We invite sector stakeholders to join an important conversation on Aboriginal self-determination and future directions for alcohol and other drug treatment in Victoria.

This special event will publicly launch VAADA’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee and a discussion paper which explores the principles of Treaty and how they apply to the AOD sector, including practical guidance for services and organisations on how they can support Aboriginal self-determination.

The event will feature a keynote address from the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria (Gellung Warl), followed by a panel discussion with members of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee.

It will explore what an equitable, culturally safe treatment system for Aboriginal Victorians looks like, and the role our sector can play in supporting lasting change.

VAADA has supported members and responded to several AOD issues in the media during the past month, headlined by an Age article led by Uniting highlighting contemporary challenges facing AOD agencies supporting people presenting with GHB as a drug of concern. The Age reported on complexities relating to withdrawal from GHB and more broadly the challenges facing the AOD sector with both emerging substances and changing patterns of consumption. This remains a live issue and key priority for the government as it considers re-designing the AOD service system.

VAADA responded to the ACIC Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program Report highlighting the crisis relating to unprecedented levels of substance use which is reflected in demand for AOD treatment, resulting in a passionate interview on 3AW. We provided comment in the Herald Sun on this issue also, with reference to the expired Victorian Police Drugs Strategy and the pressing need for an update to this strategy to deal with new and emerging threats. 

VAADA also responded to the ABC on the increasing number of hospitality venues and hospitality staff being attacked which are being investigated for links to a burgeoning illicit alcohol market. Finally, VAADA provided comment on the presence of discarded syringes in Geelong, noting the low number of call outs for public discarded syringes when compared to the huge number of syringes dispensed. The overriding issue driving these concerns remains the lack of places where people can inject drugs safely compounded by enduring levels of stigma in the community.

In 2025, VAADA conducted its second Victorian AOD Workforce Survey, with more than 480 workers sharing their insights and experiences. The full report is available here.

This month, we’re releasing a detailed look at the survey findings: Lived & Living Experience (LLE) Workforce Snapshot. This Snapshot explores the role, representation and experiences of workers with lived and living experience in the AOD sector. The findings reinforce the critical contribution of the LLE workforce and point to the structural supports needed to formalise, value and sustain these roles across the system.

We encourage you to read the Snapshot and reflect on what the data tells us about embedding lived and living experience meaningfully within the AOD workforce.

🔎 More will be released in the coming months.

On 17^th April VAADA held its first AOD Leaders Network meeting for 2026. With a keynote presentation from Dr. Paul MacCartney (Chief Addiction Medicine Advisor, Department of Health), the meeting was well attended by over 50 sector representatives at the VAADA office in Abbotsford.

Paul commenced the meeting with a presentation about the current implementation priorities to deliver on Victoria’s Alcohol and other Drugs Strategy 2025-2035. The presentation was followed by a sector panel discussion that included Clare Davies (CEO, SHARC), Kent Burgess (Treasurer, VAADA) and Sheree Lowe (Executive Director, Balit Durn Durn Centre, VACCHO) who dissected the implementation priorities and broader actions emanating from the AOD Strategy,

The AOD Leaders Network discussion highlighted that the sector is broadly supportive of the AOD strategy’s objectives but holds concerns about how they are being implemented. There is agreement that the right priorities have been identified— particularly around access, intake, pharmacotherapy, Aboriginal self-determination, funding and service model design, however, there is concern about a lack of collaborative governance, limited co-design and consultation.

There was a call for action for VAADA to work with the AOD sector to develop a sector position that informs the work underway on reviewing DTAU pricing and AOD service types 

A new campaign led by the North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network aims to address stigma and discrimination experienced by people with alcohol and other drug (AOD) challenges.

Developed through sector-wide consultations, Raise It highlights how systemic biases embedded in organisational practices can make it harder for people to access healthcare.

Insights from health professionals and people with lived experience reveal how unconscious assumptions and stereotypes can impact treatment. The campaign promotes coordinated action across systems, including workplace culture, training and patient engagement.

The Raise It website features videos, resources and toolkits to support GPs, pharmacists, nurses and AOD workers, with more content to be added.

Family Violence

This year’s SFVA Showcase brought together Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) and Mental Health and Wellbeing (MHW) workforces across Victoria to highlight the critical role our sectors play in identifying, assessing and responding to family violence. 

Across nine presentations, Specialist Family Violence Advisors (SFVAs) shared practice insights from frontline practice, systems reform, capability building and cross sector collaboration, exploring the complex intersections between family violence, substance use, mental health, health systems and judicial responses. The Showcase highlighted the depth of expertise held within AOD and MHW settings, and the importance of strengthening integrated, intersectional risk and MARAM aligned responses across service systems.

The afternoon was also an opportunity to celebrate the leadership, innovation and commitment of the SFVA workforce, and to recognise the growing role of AOD and MHW services in contributing to safer and more responsive systems for people experiencing and using family violence.

A huge thank you to all presenters, attendees and partners who contributed to such a thoughtful and energising event. We look forward to continuing these conversations and strengthening this work together across the sectors.

Workforce Development

You may be eligible for a travel subsidy to attend in-person workshops
👉 Read more about travel contributions

Sector Updates