Nationally, the type of main treatments clients receive has changed over time, reflecting changes across service delivery initiatives. In 2023–24, data from the AODTS NMDS annual report indicated that nationally:
- ‘Assessment only’ was the second most common main treatment type clients received for their own drug use (23% or 49,830 episodes)
- ‘Counselling’ was the most common treatment (33% or 71,948 of episodes) (AIHW 2025).
From 2018–19 to 2023–24, the number of ‘Assessment only’ episodes increased nationally by an average of 4.8% per year. However, this increase has not been consistent across states and territories. Most of the increase was driven by selected states and territories, particularly Queensland (26% average annual change) and Victoria (5%), while most other states and territories decreased (Table AO1; Figure 1).
