The following joint statement is from the Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Residential Rehabilitation Network (ADARRN), ACON, the NSW Users and AIDS Association (NUAA), and the Network of Alcohol
and Other Drugs Agencies (NADA).
6 December 2024
As organisations and leaders in alcohol and other drug (AOD) services and supporting communities, we call on the NSW Government to work with people with living/lived experience and the AOD sector to take urgent action following the NSW Drug Summit.
The multi-day summit heard from a range of people and organisations, including health experts, researchers, support workers and people with lived and living experiences, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, people from cultural and diverse communities on solutions to reduce drug related harm. We now call on the NSW Government to translate the discussions into meaningful action and systemic change.
The summit has shown there is an urgent need for the NSW Government to develop an evidence-based whole of government strategy on AOD. The strategy needs to set clear goals to reduce drug-related harm with action and investment across prevention, early intervention, treatment and harm reduction. It needs to be co-designed with people from diverse communities.
‘The NSW Government does not need to wait for the Drug Summit report to be handed down to increase funding for existing NGO AOD services to respond to the demand by NSW communities. People need to be able to access treatment and support when they need it. We urge the NSW Government to commit to funds in the next budget,’ says NADA CEO Dr Robert Stirling.
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