29th of August 2024, 6:01pm
Legislative Council of Victoria, Melbourne
David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan):
My matter is addressed to the Minister for Mental Health. This Saturday marks International Overdose Awareness Day, a day of action to raise awareness of this worldwide public health crisis and to advocate for overdose prevention. I want to acknowledge the Penington Institute for convening this global event and for their continued advocacy for sensible and humane drug laws.
Penington have also released Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2024 to coincide with the day. It has some sobering statistics. Overdose deaths continue to increase, and each year we set a new record for the number of drug-induced deaths. This grim record is largely driven by opioids, including dangerous novel synthetic opioids like nitazenes, which now account for 69 per cent of overdose deaths internationally.
In 2022 we recorded 2356 overdose deaths in Australia, 80 per cent of which were unintentional. Since 2008 overdose deaths have exceeded the road toll, and not by some small margin. Around 40 per cent more people die each year from unintentional drug overdoses than are killed on our roads. Both are tragic, but we spend millions every year on reducing our road toll. Where is the bold strategy to set Victoria on a path to zero overdose deaths by 2050?
It does not have to be inevitable that our drug overdose toll continues to rise. The Penington report calls for a comprehensive overdose prevention strategy, one which includes education, ready access to naloxone, more overdose prevention sites, better access to treatment and more drug checking, not just at festivals but in the community.
We warmly welcome the government’s announcement of a drug-checking trial and its plans to roll out naloxone-dispensing units in the community, but we need to do more. The theme of this year’s campaign is Together We Can. It encourages us to stand in solidarity with those affected by the tragedy of overdose and to acknowledge the intense grief felt by those who have lost a loved one.
Overdose deaths are preventable. We can and we should be doing more to avoid this preventable tragedy. So the action I seek is for the minister to develop a comprehensive overdose prevention plan as part of the state’s alcohol and other drugs strategy.
Written Answer
Received: 11 October 2024
Hon. Ingrid Stitt MP
(Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs)
I thank the member for Western Metropolitan Region for his question.
International Overdose Awareness day provides an opportunity to remember – without judgement – and without stigma – those who have died and acknowledge the grief of loved ones left behind.
The Allan Labor Government proudly takes a health-led, harm minimisation approach to preventing and reducing drug related harm in our community.
While the overdose numbers remain far too high, I am proud that significant strides have been made to address the toll of overdose and other drug harms since coming to Government in 2014.
These efforts have been supported by sustained growth in investment – with annual expenditure toward alcohol and other drug treatment services, supports and harm minimisation efforts more than double 2014 levels.
Victoria is the proud home to one of only two safe injecting services in the southern hemisphere, and its critical role in our broader alcohol and other drug service system has now been enshrined in legislation.
As the member is aware, earlier in 2024, the government announced a $95 million Statewide Action Plan (the Plan) to further address and reduce drug harms.
This important Plan will provide greater access to vital health and social supports to people who use drugs, greater access to pharmacotherapy treatment – including Victoria’s first and Australia’s largest hydromorphone treatment trial – and increased access to the lifesaving medication, Naloxone.
The Plan is also supporting the expansion of outreach services across the Melbourne CBD, Footscray and Saint Kilda as well as a statewide trial of a overdose prevention and response helpline.
To help ensure that Victoria is well prepared to respond to both current and future challenges – including the threat of potent synthetic opioids, the Plan also includes the appointment of Victoria’s first Chief Addiction Medicine Adviser, the establishment of a standing AOD Ministerial Advisory Committee, and the development of an AOD strategy.
Most recently, the Allan Labor Government has committed to implementing both a mobile and fixed site drug checking service from this summer.
In addition to facilitating the provision of important harm reduction information to reduce overdose risk, the mobile and fixed site drug checking service will also generate important data to feed into Victoria’s drug monitoring and alerts capability.
[ENDS]
