Publications

The eight overdoses which occurred at the Hardmission music festival on 6 January 2024 are distressing, not only due to the pain and suffering experienced by those directly affected but also for the broader community who view the overdoses as preventable.

In early 2023, VAADA inaugurated its first AOD Workforce Development Survey, with an impressive nearly 25% response rate from the workforce. The report offers a comprehensive glimpse into the distinctive capacities and capabilities of Victoria's AOD workforce. For an in-depth understanding, access the complete survey report by clicking here. Today, we're thrilled to present...

The Australian Alcohol & Other Drugs Council (AADC) have made a submission to the Commonwealth Department of Social Services (DSS) A Stronger, More Diverse and Independent Community Sector consultation. VAADA is an AADC member, we consulted on the submission and are a signatory to the submission.

PRESS RELEASE: 30/11/2023. The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) supports the drug checking pilot proposed by the Victorian Greens, along with the Legalise Cannabis Party and Animal Justice Party. Drug checking (also called pill testing) is currently being supported by 78 agencies in Victoria including health providers, community service organisations, unions, peak bodies...

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) supports law reform which reduces law and order interventions among people who use drugs. To that end, VAADA supports the Regulation of Cannabis

This monograph – by leading Victorian expert in sentencing law Professor Arie Freiberg – examines the 170-year history of drug sentencing reform in Victoria. Despite the long and complex history of drug criminalisation, this is the first document to examine these issues in the Victorian context. From the fines, bonds and imprisonment of the...

To say that 2022-2023 has been a big year for VAADA is no understatement. As we slowly adjust to life after the pandemic, the Victorian alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector continues to face a mix of challenges and opportunities.

In 2023 VAADA received nearly 400 responses in its biennial Victorian Alcohol and other Drugs Workforce Development survey. A detailed report was produced exploring the high-level findings and offering a handful of recommendations on workforce capacity, capability and wellbeing. This is document forms part of a series of snapshots which focus exclusively on a...

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) is deeply concerned about the surge in fatal overdoses in Victoria during 2022 as detailed in the data released by the Coroners Court of Victoria. The soaring number of fatal overdoses is indicative of a preventable crisis with harm reduction measures such as Overdose Prevention Centres and...

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) supports the public intoxication reforms noting that they are a necessary public health measure and that intoxication is unambiguously a health matter. The