|
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.
DFA Chairman, Craig Thompson is pleased that the Federal Government has demonstrated a true commitment with seeding funding to Drug Free Australia to enable a balanced message to be communicated to concerned Australians. ‘We are now taking drug prevention seriously, from the top down.’ Mr Thompson said.
"Young peoples' health and well-being has been at risk for almost a decade, with an disproportionate amount of funding going into treatment, rather than beginning with a well-resourced prevention strategy. A long-term approach to prevention is needed to see the benefits," Mr Thompson said.
"Until now, there has been much rhetoric about ‘prevention being better than cure’, but the fact is that prevention misses out on the big dollars."
"For example, drug education in schools needs to be given higher priority, with effective, specialist resources, that are available beyond the short 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".
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 | To establish a national database of organisations and individuals who are committed to the Federal Governments anti drugs policy. | Point 2 | To communicate with these organisations and individuals on a regular basis through online and printed publications (eg. newsletters, websites, journals and other correspondence) and to mobilise them when there is media debate regarding drugs issues. | Point 3 | The establishment and maintenance of a comprehensive web-site |
PART B - EXTERNAL – PUBLIC AND MEDIA Point 4 | To conduct and coordinate research activities regarding the drug issues generally both here and overseas and produce appropriate papers and publications regarding same. | Point 5 | To co-ordinate visits of overseas anti drugs experts and to facilitate seminars and media activities for these people. Regular seminars and media activities to be arranged for local experts. | Point 6 | To co-ordinate a national media response to pro drug activists when they are active in the media. For this purpose appropriate expert spokesman to be made available to the media. | Point 7 | To facilitate regular media releases to all suburban and metropolitan media regarding local anti-drug issues. Local members of parliament to be fully informed and resourced as appropriate. |
PART C - EXTERNAL – GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES & OTHER POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES Point 8 | As required liaise with and assist Government and other Government agencies (including Police) regarding the Government anti drugs message and other anti drugs initiatives. | Point 9 | To prepare documentation and submissions to parliamentary inquiries | Point 10 | To inform and resource local members of parliament as appropriate. Also to assist with the coordinating of visiting local and international anti drugs experts to meet with members of all levels of government, and other departmental and government agency representatives. |
|
