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Conferences

Future conferences

National Drug Trends Conference 2008
23 November 2008, Sydney, New South Wales

The 2008 National Drug Trends Conference is being held in collaboration with the 2008 APSAD Conference. Convened by the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) and the Ecstacy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS), recent findings in illicit drug use, markets, related harms and emerging trends will be presented.

IDRS and EDRS presentations include:

  • Key findings from the 2008 IDRS
  • Key findings from the2008 EDRS
  • Is the use of khat an emerging practice among regular ecstacy users in Melbourne
  • Getting the message: Where do people who inject drugs get information about safer drug use and health
  • SA EDRS findings: Drug driving, bingeing, gambling and other risk taking behaviours
  • Comparing mental and physical health scores in the Sydney regular drug user surveys

Keynote speakers:

  • Professor Don Weatherburn and Ms Lucy Snowball
  • Jeremy Douglas (Austria)
  • Dr David Caldicott

View conference information (PDF - 606KB)

For further information contact:

Conference Organiser: ICMS Pty Ltd
3rd Floor, 379 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9290 3366
Fax: (02) 9290 24444
Email: apsad2008@icms.com.au
Website: Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2008

Making it happen: responding to Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) issues across the sectors
12 - 13 May 2009, Fremantle, Western Australia

The Making it Happen Conference is a collaborative event organised by the Western Australian Drug and Alcohol Office, Palmerston Association, Department for Child Protection, Department of Corrective Services, Department of the Attorney General and the Mental Health Division (Department of Health).

The 2009 Conference is unique in that it is the first time these government and non-government agencies from specialist drug and mainstream sectors will come together to present best practice interventions and initiatives to respond to clients affected by drug and alcohol issues.

This event will provide numerous opportunities for professional networking, collaboration, discussion and debate around the Conference title: “Making it Happen”: Responding to alcohol and other drug issues across the sectors.

Keynote speakers:

  • Professor Richard Velleman, University of Bath Mental Health Research and Development Unit
  • Professor David Castle, Chair of Psychiatry St Vincent's Hospital
  • Dr Scott D. Miller, Co-director Institute for the Study of Therapeutic Change, Chicago, USA
  • Dr Toni Makkai, Dean College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University
  • The Hon Wayne Martin, Chief Justice of Western Australia
  • Associate Professor Amanda Baker, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle
  • Associate Professor Simon Lenton, Associate Professor & Deputy Director National Drug Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology
  • Associate Professor Colleen Hayward, Manager, Kulunga Research Network, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research

Closing date for abstracts: Friday 12 September 2008

For further information contact:
EECW
PO Box 749
Wembley, WA 6913
Ph: (08) 9389 1488
Fax: (08) 9389 1499
Email: info@eecw.com.au
Website: Making it Happen

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Beyond addiction: connections to the future - Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia 2009 Conference
24 - 26 June 2009, Gold Coast, Queensland

The Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia (DANA) aims to provide a professional forum for drug and alcohol nurses and other health professionals interested in the area, to come together to discuss innovations in the field and challenges for the future at this "Beyond addiction: connections to the future" conference.

The Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia (DANA) conference will also include an Indigenous stream

Keynote speakers:

  • Paul Dillon has worked in the area of drug education for 25 years, the past 13 years of these at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre where his key role has been to disseminate research findings to policy makers, drug and alcohol workers and the general public. Through his own business, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), Paul is contracted to provide regular updates on current drug trends within the community. Paul regularly provides media comment and has appeared on television programs including Sunrise, TODAY and A Current Affair discussing topical issues. He also hosted a regular national radio program dealing with youth drug issues on Triple J for seven years.
  • Dr Glenys Dore is the Medical/Clinical Director for the Northern Sydney Drug and Alcohol Service. After graduating in 1991 Glenys inadvertently found herself in the position of Medical Director for methadone services in Dunedin, New Zealand, when no-one else was willing to take up the position. Following this role she has worked in both General Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. Her areas of special interest include dual diagnosis, opioid treatment, prescription drug misuse, acute withdrawal management, methamphetamine psychosis and PTSD.
  • Professor Dennis Gray is a Deputy Director at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, where he established the Institute’s Indigenous Australian Research Program. He is a leading researcher in this area and has a long history of conducting collaborative research with Indigenous community-controlled organisations. Professor Gray has published extensively on Indigenous substance misuse issues, including a co-authored book Dealing with Alcohol: Indigenous Usage in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and he has been invited to present on his research in various national and international forums. His research has had demonstrable outcomes at the national, state/territory and regional/local levels and in 2006 his research team was awarded the National Alcohol and Drug Award for Excellence in Research.
  • David Kavanagh was educated at Sydney and Stanford Universities. He has held senior academic posts at the Universities of Sydney and Queensland, and currently holds a Research Chair at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and School of Psychology and Counselling at Queensland University of Technology. He has over 140 publications, and an extensive grant record. His research focuses on the nature and management of addiction, both alone and with other mental disorders, prevention of relapse, and increasing access to interventions using postal and internet delivery.
  • Doug Sellman is a psychiatrist, addiction medicine specialist and Director of the National Addiction Centre, New Zealand. The Centre, which has developed into a lead research and training unit within the national addiction treatment field, is dedicated to improving treatment for people with addiction-related problems. In 2005 Doug was promoted to a Personal Chair in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch. Since 1994 his clinical work has been primarily as consultant psychiatrist to the addiction treatment stream of the Youth Specialty Service in Christchurch, New Zealand.
  • Ingrid van Beek is a Public Health and Addiction Medicine physician who has been the Director of the Kirketon Road Centre since 1989. In 2000 Ingrid was seconded to be the foundation Medical Director of Australia’s first Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, a position she held for eight years. A Conjoint Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine of the University of NSW, Ingrid recently received the NSW Public Health Association’s 2008 Public Health Impact Award. She has also been inducted onto the Honour Roll at the National Drug and Alcohol Awards in recognition of her work among marginalised populations in Kings Cross over the past 20 years.

View conference website
View call for papers and registration brochure (PDF - 3.36MB - large file warning!)

Abstract submissions close 13 February 2008

Further information:
Emma Fernance
DANA2009 Event Manager
Ph: (07) 3831 3788
Fax: (07) 3831 9246
Email: e.fernance@guild.org.au

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Past conferences

2008

Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2008
23 - 26 November 2008, Sydney, New South Wales

The Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2008 featured a program of international and national keynote speakers who focused on new treatment prevention and policy approaches to the drug and alcohol field. A broad range of papers were presented from renowned national and international experts in the latest cutting-edge drug and alcohol research.

Program overview:

The Scientific Program focused on evidence, policy and practice and comprised the following:

  • Keynote presentations from National and International invited speakers
  • Symposia on selected topics
  • Concurrent oral sessions
  • Poster sessions
  • Clinicalworkshops/master classes
  • Social functions
  • Satellite meetings and launches

The keynote speakers were:

  • Dr Marina Davoli (Italy)
  • Associate Professor Greg Dore
  • Professor Ian Hickie
  • Professor Ross Homel
  • Dr Nick Lintzeris
  • Dr Rosalie Pacula (USA)
  • Professor Robin Room
  • Professor Rob Sanson-Fisher
  • Associate Professor Mark Tyndall (Canada)

View conference information

For further information contact:
Conference Organiser: ICMS Pty Ltd
3rd Floor, 379 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9290 3366
Fax: (02) 9290 24444
Email: apsad2008@icms.com.au
Website: Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2008

Joining the Dots - Aboriginal Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Forum
30 - 31 October 2008, Perth, Western Australia

Joining the dots was organised by the Western Australian Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies (WANADA) in partnership with the Drug and Alcohol Office and the Department of Health and Aging Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. It was an opportunity for Aboriginal AOD workers from across the state of WA and others to get together to discuss relevant issues within the Aboriginal AOD sector and share experiences.

Further information:
Western Australian Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies
City West Lotteries House
2 Delhi St
West Perth WA 6005
Ph: (08) 9420 7236
Email: drugpeak@wanada.org.au
View website: http://www.wanada.org.au

2007

4th Australasian Drug Strategy Conference
22-25 October, 2007, Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Meeting the Future - innovative and effective policy and practice. The Queensland Police Serviced hosted the Australasian Drug Strategy Conference. The conference was an information sharing forum to develop strategies aimed at reducing the negative effects of alcohol and other drug use. The conference attracted speakers and delegates from both Australia and overseas.
Website:http://www.police.qld.gov.au/news+and+alerts/campaigns/drugconf/default.htm

16th Western Australian Drug and Alcohol Symposium: Working Out What Works
18 - 19 September 2007, Fremantle, Western Australia

The symposium catered to a diverse range of professionals working in government and non government drug treatment agencies; tertiary and research settings; justice; diversion and law enforcement; education; health; mental health; youth; Indigenous; culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD); child protection and welfare; new researchers and graduates and individuals; and agencies representing drug consumers.

The symposium brought together a variety of speakers to present evidence based research in treatment, policy, prevention, harm reduction and law enforcement strategies. The event provided numerous opportunities for professional networking, collaboration, discussion and debate around “working out what works” in responding to alcohol and other drug-related harm across a diversity of settings.


For further information:
Symposium Secretariat
EventEdge International Management Group
Phone: 08 9389 1488
Email: info@eventedge.com.au
Website: http://www.woww2007.com/  

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2007 Australian Winter School: The Way Forward
2 - 4 July 2007, Brisbane, Queensland

The Australian Winter School is an initiative of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation - Queensland (ADFQ). The programs of the Winter School covered prevention, education, treatment and rehabilitation. The 2007 Australian Winter School aimed to increase delegates' level of knowledge and professional skills, present the most recent research, and to demonstrate its relevance to those working in the alcohol and other drugs field. This year, each conference day was dedicated to a different theme:

•  Monday: sociology & policy
•  Tuesday: treatment
•  Wednesday: education & young people

One could select attending one day only, or all three.

Speakers included:

•  Scott Wilson, Director Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council (SA) Inc (ADAC)
•  Dr Chris Sarra, Director of the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute
•  Dr John Roulston, Executive Director of Independent Schools Queensland.
•  Assoc. Prof. Simon Lenton, Deputy Director at the National Drug Research Institute
•  Prof. Steve Allsop, Director of the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI)

For further information:
Australian Winter School
PO Box 332
Spring Hill QLD 4004
Ph: (07) 3834 0214
Fax: (07) 3832 2527
Email: winterschool@adfq.org
Website: http://www.winterschool.info

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2006

Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD) Conference 2006
 5 - 8 November 2006, Cairns, Queensland

The event brought together international and Australian speakers to present the latest research in policy, prevention, treatment, law enforcement and harm reduction.

For further information:
ICMS Pty Ltd
88 Merivale Street, South Bank
Queensland 4101 Australia
Ph: (07) 3307 4000
Fax: (07) 3844 0909
Email: apsad2006@icms.com.au
Website: http://www.apsad.org.au/index.php?menu=conf

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Job vacancies

Vibe Worker
Vibe Worker is a job search engine specifically for Indigenous Australian job seekers, and employers seeking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
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Other News

Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Workers Wellbeing Online Survey

The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) at Flinders University has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to undertake national research on the wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health workers (who see a high proportion of Indigenous clients) working in the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) field. This national study includes AOD specialist and generic health workers across government, non-government and community controlled organisations.

As part of this project, NCETA is currently undertaking an online survey and would like to invite interested Indigenous and non-Indigenous health workers (who see a high proportion of Indigenous clients) working in the AOD field to let us know their views on the level of stress and wellbeing that they experience.

To have your say through the online survey, please go to www.nceta.flinders.edu.au, and follow the links to the Indigenous AOD Worker Wellbeing Survey.

Please note: survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, hard copies can be provided if internet access is problematic.

For further information please contact:
Donna Weetra
Ph: (08) 8201 7538
Email: donna.weetra@flinders.edu.au

or

Amanda Tovell
Ph: (08) 8201 7543

2008 - 2009 Budget: Closing The Gap in Indigenous Health

The Australian Government is investing $334.8 million towards closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.

Alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse are major issues of concern among some Indigenous communities, one Indigenous health budget initiative addresses a commitment of $49.3 million over four years, through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), to improve access to drug and alcohol services, including residential treatment and rehabilitation facilities. This measure doubles the 2006 COAG commitment for expanded drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services.

New AIHW report - The effectiveness of the Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative in rural and remote Australia

On the 10 April 2008 the AIHW released a report on The effectiveness of the Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative (IDDI) in rural and remote Australia. The IDDI provides a nationally consistent framework through which police and courts may refer eligible drug offenders towards appropriate assessment, education or drug treatment. This report presents an evaluation of the effectiveness of the IDDI in rural and remote Australia, drawing on quantitative and qualitative evidence to explore the extent to which the stated objectives of the IDDI have been achieved in rural and remote locations.

View report
View report (PDF - 735KB)
View website: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

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$50 million to tacke Indigenous alcohol abuse - Media Release 17 February 2008

The Australian Government has allocated $50 million to reduce alcohol and substance abuse and its impact on families, safety and community well being in remote Indigenous communities.

This is the implementation of the Government's commitment at last Decmber's COAG meeting of $50 million nationwide over four years for substance and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment services across Australia, particularly in remote areas.

  • For further information:

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Last updated: 27 November 2008