Communique—25 May 2007

The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) is the principal advisory body to the Government on drug policy and plays a critical role in ensuring the voice of the community is heard in relation to drug related policies and strategies. A particular priority of the ANCD is to support initiatives that continue to build capacity within the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector to facilitate best practice.

The ANCD consists of representatives from the government and non government drug and alcohol sector from around Australia. Council meetings and consultations with people working with drug and alcohol issues (treatment, research, policing, education etc) are held in a different State and Territory every three months. Through these meetings and consultation forums, the ANCD is able to ensure that the views of the sector, in particular non-government, community-based organisations are considered as part of drug policy advice.

In May 2007 in Darwin the ANCD received informative presentations from the Northern Territory Department of Health & Community Services and from representatives of the NGO sector, held a consultation forum with agencies working with drug and alcohol related matters followed by its own quarterly full council meeting and a meeting with the Hon Chris Burns, Northern Territory Minister for Health; as a result, the following issues have been highlighted by ANCD members:

Capacity of the NGO Sector

ANCD Members acknowledged the significant increase in contributions from the Australian Government for the NGO sector, particularly for treatment but also for a range of issues such as psychostimulants, diversion and co-morbidity. The increased contributions of some State and Territory governments were also noted for some areas.

The need to strongly support the NGO sector in developing services and infrastructure so that it may take full advantage of the funding available was identified as a key issue.

The ANCD has commissioned a report on the needs of the NGO sector to be sustainable and looks forward to the report in coming months so that it may write to all Ministers responsible for drug and alcohol NGO services funding to advocate for greater support.

Attracting, Training and Retaining Staff

Key problems affecting services in the Northern Territory was their ability to attract, train and retain staff. The ANCD noted that this was a problem affecting services across the country but particularly remote, rural and regional areas. The ANCD discussed the need to consider strategies that may alleviate this problem including governments assessing the salary and conditions for staff working in the sector.

Kava

The ANCD was advised on the availability of kava in some areas of the Northern Territory as a result of the introduction of the Kava Management Act. The ANCD was specifically keen to see appropriate research and analysis conducted on the impact of the introduction of ‘legal’ kava into some Indigenous communities. The ANCD also noted the recent statements of the National Indigenous Drug & Alcohol Committee after their meetings in Darwin and Alice Springs. Accordingly, the ANCD will be writing to the Northern Territory Health Minister for further information and clarification on the impact of kava availability.

Marijuana and Mental Health Implications

The ANCD discussed the implications of cannabis on mental health and family functioning, particularly for some Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. The need for better data on this issue was highlighted in discussions with forum participants.

Alcohol Availability

The excessive availability, use and harms associated with alcohol in the Northern Territory were discussed with forum participants. The ANCD reiterated their support for the implementation of the National Alcohol Strategy to address many of these issues.

A particular issue raised with the ANCD was the closure of the night patrol services in the Darwin area. As a result, the ANCD resolved to write to the Northern Territory Government for further information and research on the impact of this decision.

Media Influence on Community Values

The ANCD noted some of the concerns expressed at the forum at the influence of local media on drug and alcohol issues in the Northern Territory. Specifically, the ANCD resolved to write to the NT News newspaper to seek an explanation of its views on drug and alcohol issues often being at variance to other media outlets in Australia. A copy of the recent Australian Press Council endorsed memorandum form the ANCD on media reporting of drug and alcohol issues will also be provided to the NT News.

‘Of Substance’ Update

‘Of Substance’ is an Australian National Council on Drugs initiative and is produced with funding from the Department of Health and Ageing. ‘Of Substance’ is a free, quarterly magazine. The next edition is currently in print and will be available shortly. There are currently over 13,000 copies of the magazine in circulation. Also there is a new website for Of Substance www.ofsubstance.org.au which provides access to all copies of the magazine and article search facilities.

Next Meeting

Members were informed that the next meeting will be in Brisbane from the 5th–7th of September 2007 where a consultation forum will also be held with agencies and the ANCD will be finalising its 2007–2010 Work Plan.

Conclusion

More information on the Australian National Council on Drugs is available by accessing the ANCD website: www.ancd.org.au or by contacting the ANCD Secretariat:
PO Box 1552 Canberra ACT 2601 P 02 62791650 or F 02 62791610.

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