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Drug Free Australia is a peak body, representing organizations and individuals who value the health and wellbeing of our nation. It plays a key role as a community voice, staying in touch with every day Australians - families and young people - via newsletters, community forums and the media, to ensure a clear message of healthy, drug free lifestyles is assured for generations to come.
Our goals are: - To ensure that current, accurate illicit drug prevention messages are disseminated widely within our communities
- To support those who are alcohol and drug dependent to access pathways to recovery
- To conduct research into emerging AOD issues in order to ensure that primary prevention and recovery-based treatment options, are given top priority
From the Chair:
DFA Chairman, Craig Thompson emphasises that: “We need to re-focus our drug policy and practice on an approach that prioritises primary prevention, if we are to see any real change in the health and wellbeing of our current and future generations of young people”.
"We need to acknowledge that Australia has one of the highest rates of drug use, because of a priority on Harm Minimisation rather than Harm Prevention, and we now need to take a leaf out of the books of the policy makers in the UK and United States. Both these countries have given greater emphasis to prevention initiatives, while still aiming to help people who are drug dependent, to recover”.
A key issue:
Jo Baxter, Executive Officer, believes that “Drug education in schools needs to be revitalised and given higher priority, with effective, specialist resources, that are available beyond the short political funding cycles of three years or four years”.
"Schools play a crucial role in preventing drug problems when students bring drugs to school or use drugs at school. According to research, at least 50% of senior students in Australian school have tried cannabis and too many use ecstasy, and are not mindful of the potentially disastrous consequences".
Drug Free Australia will continue to strive for pro health alternatives to illicit drugs and to ensure that harm prevention is not only a household catch phrase, but a reality, put into good practice, throughout our country.
PART A – INTERNAL / MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT Point 1 | Continue to build a national database of organisations and individuals who are committed to the primary prevention of illicit drugs and to recovery-based AOD treatment within Australian communities. | Point 2 | Communicate with these organisations and individuals on a regular basis through online and printed publications and to mobilise them when there is media debate regarding drugs issues. Affiliate where appropriate | Point 3 | Update and maintain a comprehensive web-site, with links to social media sites as well as other drug prevention websites |
PART B - EXTERNAL – PUBLIC AND MEDIA Point 4 | Conduct and coordinate research activities regarding the drug issues both within Australia and internationally and produce appropriate papers and publications regarding same. Proactively disseminate this information to the media. | Point 5 | Link with AOD specialists and other like-minded organisations to facilitate seminars, workshops and conferences to disseminate relevant research findings and effective prevention strategies. Proactively update the media about these linkages and events | Point 6 | Co-ordinate local and national media responses to pro drug media to ensure greater balance and accuracy in the illicit drug debate | Point 7 | Ensure that local politicians and members of parliament, at all levels, be kept informed of the latest prevention initiatives available to their media campaigns and to ensure that they are fully resourced when communicating with their constituents. |
PART C - EXTERNAL – GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES & OTHER POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES Point 8 | Liaise with and assist Government and Government agencies (including Police) regarding prevention initiatives pertaining to their specific jurisdictional issues | Point 9 | Prepare documentation and submissions to relevant parliamentary inquiries | Point 10 | Introduce politicians at all levels to relevant drug prevention and recovery-based treatment specialists, both from within Australia, and overseas |
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