Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport, I present the committee's report entitled Issues paper relating to the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs in Australia, together with a corrigendum and the minutes of proceedings.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—Substance abuse has long been a profound challenge facing communities across our nation and indeed all over the world since time immemorial.

In Australia, harm related to alcohol and other drugs is one of our most significant public health crises—a major cause of preventable disease, illness and death. The health impacts span a devastating spectrum, from substance abuse disorders and mental illness to infectious diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and liver disease, injury, overdose and even effects on the unborn fetus.

But the toll extends far beyond individual health. Alcohol and other drug use casts a long shadow across our society and economy, contributing to family violence, child abuse and neglect, gambling addiction and family breakdown. It places immense pressure on our police, community service workers and the criminal justice system.

Six months ago, when the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport embarked on this inquiry into the health impacts of alcohol and other drug use, we recognised a pivotal moment of opportunity. With both the National Drug Strategy and the National Alcohol Strategy approaching their conclusion, we had a chance to ensure that the next iterations of these crucial strategies could benefit from the research powers of a committee of the parliament. In particular, the committee was very keen to see these strategies informed by a comprehensive understanding of the sector's needs.

The committee was grateful to receive written evidence and hear from witnesses about a range of issues pertaining to current alcohol and other drugs service delivery, the need for developing responses tailored to different communities, and the urgent challenge of raising the capacity of the workforce across this sector. We heard of new challenges, new drugs and new ways of delivering support.

The fact that the committee received over 200 submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, including government agencies, peak bodies, researchers, clinicians and harm reduction services among others, speaks to the level of interest in and urgent need for addressing harms from substance abuse.

We know that substance use does not impact all Australians equally. Our most vulnerable populations bear a disproportionate burden of alcohol and other drug related harm. This inequity demands that our policy responses be both targeted and equitable, ensuring that a person's background or location never stands as a barrier between them and adequate help.

In the time available, there were elements of the inquiry's terms of reference that the committee was unable to fully explore. Accordingly, the committee recommends and wishes that the inquiry be continued in the next parliament. And I commit to that, provided I'm re-elected. We present this issues paper now as both a summary of the substantial evidence we've already gathered and to identify some of the lines of inquiry which should be pursued. We must remain vigilant in studying evolving patterns of substance abuse and the emergence of new drugs that pose grave threats to our community.

In closing, I wish to thank the federal and state government departments and agencies, peak bodies, think tanks, academics, health practitioners, research organisations and members of the public who all provided invaluable input into this inquiry. The overwhelming response to our call for submissions reflects how deeply this issue resonates across the country in all societies.

The committee was particularly grateful for the opportunity to visit the Salvation Army's Access Health, the Windana adult residential detox centre in St Kilda and the Alcohol and Drug Assessment Unit of the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. We were impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the healthcare and social workers at these facilities who so generously shared their time with us.

I would also like to thank the committee itself. It's a great committee. I am very grateful to all the members of the committee, including, although not exclusively, the member for Hughes, the member for Werriwa, the member for Kooyong and the member for Robertson. But most of all I'd like to express my gratitude to the initial deputy chair of the committee, Melissa McIntosh, the member for Lindsay, whose intelligence and hard work significantly improved the committee's function. In particular, I'd also like to thank Julian Leeser, the member for Berowra, in his role as the ongoing deputy chair of the committee, for his intelligence, hard work and really indefatigable work for the committee and across the parliament. It was really great to work with him and a great privilege to do so.

Lastly, I'd like to thank our secretariat. I cannot express how impressed I am by their intelligence, their hard work and the really wonderful camaraderie that they developed within the whole committee. They are often unsung, but they are real jewels in our parliament. I thank Mr Andrew Bray, the committee secretary, and the inquiry secretary, Iva Glisic, so much for their help and support. It has been wonderful to work with them and I hope to work with them further in the future.

So I commend the issues paper relating to the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs in Australia to the parliament. I look forward to continuing this work in the next parliament. My deputy secretary will say a few words as well.

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