The ACT government needs to double the funding for specialist drug services to combat increasing harm to Canberrans, the drug and alcohol sector peak body says.
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Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT executive officer Carrie Fowlie said a year of upheaval within ACT Health had led to some well-established practices and policy reform practices in the ACT falling by the wayside.
She said the pressures on the "chronically underfunded" sector came at a time when the community was facing an epidemic of opioid overdoses and related deaths.
In a budget submission, Ms Fowlie urged the ACT government to double funding for the ACT's specialist alcohol and drug sector, saying it was concerning the last budget did not include funding for any additional drug or alcohol treatment places.
Ms Fowlie said she was concerned services currently being offered would be interrupted, and urged the government to provide funding stability.
She said the ACT Health Directorate had not provided formal information to specialist providers about contract renewals, despite funding arrangements set to end on June 30.
The submission said the sector's infrastructure was ageing and much of it was no longer fit for purpose.
"Funding is urgently needed to update facilities and thereby improve treatment outcomes," she said.
Ms Fowlie said while ACT Health's services had been updated, it had not directed funding or policy work to improving non-government drug services.
This was despite nine of the 10 drug service providers in the ACT being non-government organisations.
"Other jurisdictions, including Victoria, have acknowledged the critical need to reinvest in capital infrastructure of [drug] services, with a specific focus on non-government services," Ms Fowlie said.
The submission called for the government to implement a drug early warning system to help monitor trends and deploy rapid responses.
Ms Fowlie said the lack of an early warning system had created a critical gap, as shown in October when police issued a media release after three suspected heroin overdoses.
"This was the first that the ACT [alcohol and drug] sector had been informed by government officials of the spike in drug overdose deaths that was occurring at the time in Canberra," Ms Fowlie said.
"Disappointingly, there was no public response to the overdoses crisis from the ACT Health Directorate."
The submission took aim at a lack of forward planning by the government, with new health facilities - such as nurse walk-in centres and Belconnen Health Centre - being developed without the need for a range of specialist drug and alcohol services being considered.
The submission was made just before the government released its drug action plan which outlined its priorities over the next three years to tackle the harm caused by drugs and alcohol.
Ms Fitzharris said the plan had a focus on better partnerships, co-ordination and collaboration across the drug and alcohol sector, working with law enforcement and working more closely with priority populations.
“The ACT government invests more than $20 million each year in alcohol and other drug treatment and associated support services," she said.
“Partnerships between government agencies and non-government organisations are increasingly important as we work to improve treatment, tackle crime and expand support services.
“Reducing the wide range of alcohol, tobacco and other drug related harms requires collaboration across multiple agencies and community sectors."
