Advisory structures for the National Drug Strategy Framework

Advisory structures for the National Drug Strategy Framework

National Drug Strategy Advisory Structures

The following information about the National Drug Strategy Advisory Structures is available in The National Drug Strategy: Australia’s Integrated Framework 2004–2009.

Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (MCDS)

The National Drug Strategy is the responsibility of the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (MCDS). The MCDS is a national ministerial-level forum responsible for developing policies and programs to reduce the harm caused by drugs to individuals, families and communities in Australia. The MCDS is the peak policy and decision making body on licit and illicit drugs in Australia. It brings together Australian government, state and territory ministers responsible for health and law enforcement, and the Australian government Minister responsible for education.

The MCDS is responsible for ensuring that Australia has a nationally coordinated and integrated approach to reducing the substantial harms associated with drug use. The council’s collaborative approach is designed to achieve national consistency and to improve outcomes in the areas of policy, program development and service delivery.

The MCDS will continue to liaise with, and provide reports to, the Australasian Police Ministers’ Council, the Australian Health Ministers’ Council, the Ministerial Council on Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, the Ministerial Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and other ministerial councils on matters of joint responsibility and priority in relation to the National Drug Strategy.

The MCDS is supported in its role by the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs (IGCD) and the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD). The IGCD and ANCD are the principal bodies responsible for the provision of advice to the MCDS on the development and implementation of policies and programs.

Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs (IGCD)

The MCDS is supported by a Commonwealth/state/territory government forum—the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs (IGCD). The IGCD consists of senior officers that represent health and law enforcement agencies in each Australian jurisdiction and in New Zealand, as well as representatives of the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training and the Ministerial Council on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.

The IGCD provides policy advice to the MCDS on drug-related matters, and is responsible for implementing National Drug Strategy policies and programs, as directed by the MCDS. It will also assist in facilitating specialist advice by way of a National Expert Advisory Panel (NEAP), which will be implemented in July 2004. Membership of NEAP will consist of experts in a number of fields including local government, education, alcohol, illicit drugs, tobacco, Indigenous affairs, prevention and youth.

The Ministerial Council has endorsed the IGCD, in consultation with the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD), to commission work and seek specialist advice on its behalf from the NEAP as well as from time-limited and function-specific task forces, to ensure that policies, strategies and directions are consistent with the National Drug Strategy. Research and data collection is seen as the basis to identify emerging issues in the area of licit and illicit drugs. In order to be in a position to develop sound policy responses to these issues, the IGCD will be working in partnership with the ANCD.

Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD)

Membership of the ANCD includes people with a wide range of experience and expertise on various aspects of drug policy, such as treatment, rehabilitation, education, family counselling, law enforcement, research and work at the coalface in community organisations.

The ANCD will provide ministers with independent, expert advice on matters connected with licit and illicit drugs. It provides a non-government voice, to facilitate an enhanced partnership between the government and community sectors in the development and implementation of policies and programs to redress drug-related harms. The ANCD will develop a workplan and will report annually to the Prime Minister and will provide reports to the MCDS.

National Expert Advisory Panel

The National Expert Advisory Panel will provide a pool of relevant multidisciplinary expertise to undertake a number of activities on behalf of the MCDS. Its activities will include:

providing expert advice on nationally significant matters;
identifying emerging trends relating to the harmful use of specific drugs or other substances, and providing expert advice on strategies, to ensure a timely response;
providing expert advice on priorities and strategies for dealing with specific drug-related harm, including priorities and strategies for supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction;
providing advice on current legal, medical, scientific, ethical, social and public health approaches to reducing drug-related harm; and
providing advice and direction to ensure the development and application of strategies that are culturally responsive to specific population groups, including Indigenous communities.

To assist in implementing and progressing national priorities, time-limited and function-specific taskforces will be established on an as-needed basis. Membership of the taskforces will reflect a balance in state and territory, health and law enforcement, government/non-government, Indigenous, local government, education and relevant sector representation suitable to the particular task, and will be derived from the Panel.

National Drug Research Centres

The National Drug Strategy benefits from core research programs of the National Drug Research Centres to develop products and facilitate research into matters identified as priorities under the National Drug Strategy.

The National Drug Research Centres will regularly provide the MCDS with advice of research outcomes, and will contribute to informing the IGCD of emerging issues and trends.

Annual Strategic Issues Workshop

An annual joint IGCD/ANCD workshop will be held to enable these bodies to consider emerging issues, discuss approaches and appropriate policy responses. Discussions at the workshop will be informed by relevant advice and research. This approach will ultimately ensure that the MCDS is well placed to fulfil its role of directing Australia’s policy and program responses to drug issues.

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