Publications

MEDIA RELEASE 5 August 2013 The Victorian Drug Court must be accessible state wide The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) today releases a position paper entitled ‘Drug Courts in Victoria: evidence & options’ which calls for the Victorian Drug Court to be accessible in all regions of Victoria. Currently the Victorian Drug Court...

Drug Courts in Victoria: evidence & options Issued July 2013 Overview This paper describes the current Drug Court model in Victoria and proposes an extensive program of expansion through strategically applying the Drug Court model to all regions of Victoria. It provides the most up‐to‐date evidence regarding the cost effectiveness of the Victorian Drug...

MEDIA RELEASE Monday 7, 2013 Rising drug death toll fails to get relief from stagnant AOD budget The latest figures available from the Victorian Coroners Court indicate that 367 individuals died due to acute drug toxicity in 2012 – more than one person per day. Medically prescribed pharmaceuticals now account for more deaths than...

MEDIA RELEASE Monday 20 May, 2013 Public health no‐brainer: provision of sterile syringes a necessity The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) supports the call from the Burnet Institute to increase access to sterile injecting equipment in light of the disproportionate level of injecting drug use, overdoses and discarded injecting paraphernalia within the City...

MEDIA RELEASE 2 April 2013 The bloated cost of Alcohols Harm outweighs slim tax revenue The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) is very concerned that government revenue from alcohol is only half the actual cost posed by the harms associated with alcohol. The Australian Institute of Criminology today released a paper entitled, ‘The...

MEDIA RELEASE Wednesday 7 March 2013 Government change shouldn’t affect alcohol and drug reform The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) today congratulates Dr Denis Napthine on his appointment as Premier of Victoria. VAADA looks forward to working with Premier Napthine and Minister Wooldridge in continuing to drive the reforms currently occurring in the...

Reducing the alcohol and drug toll: Victoria’s plan 2013 – 2017 Issued February 2013 This document, prepared by the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) summarises some of the key features from the report entitled ‘Reducing the Alcohol and drug toll: Victoria’s plan 2013 – 2017’ (the RAD Plan). Introduction: The RAD Plan has...

MEDIA RELEASE Friday 1 February 2013 Prison expansion increases costs for all The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) today expresses continuing concern regarding the disproportionate amount of scarce public resources allocated to the prison system in Victoria. The alarming figures from the Productivity Commission regarding the extraordinarily high cost of running prisons in...

Alcohol Taxation Issued June 2010 Alcohol and its consumption are an accepted and enjoyable part of Australian culture, with a long history and deep sociocultural roots. However, attitudes toward alcohol are also complex and ambivalent, and evidence of significant alcohol-related harm to individuals and communities demands a concerted and effective response. Harmful and excessive...