State and territory data quality
COVID-19
From 2019–20 to 2021–22, restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted delivery of AOD services in Australia.
Many AOD services, especially withdrawal management and residential rehabilitation, experienced reduced occupancy and, in some cases, temporary closures. Counselling and outreach services largely transitioned to telehealth to comply with public health measures. As a result, there were fewer AOD referrals and more cancellations for residential admissions, with most providers limiting face-to-face contact except where it was essential for withdrawal or rehabilitation treatment. For further information on the impacts to AOD service delivery during COVID see, Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia: Annual report 2021–22, COVID 19 impact.
Policy, legislation and environmental changes
New South Wales
In 2019–20, a number of natural disasters impacted the 2019–20 NSW reporting period, including large areas of NSW experiencing unprecedented bushfires between October 2019 and March 2020, and in February 2020 some areas of NSW experienced flooding.
During 2023, there was a transition between data warehouses, this may have impacted the data for the 2022-23 period.
Victoria
In February 2021, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services was separated into two new departments: the Department of Health (DH) and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) to better prepare for the state’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The DH is responsible for the state’s health system, including mental health and AOD treatment services.
Victorian AOD services operate under a mixed-funding model.
- The majority of adult residential and non-residential services have been funded through Activity-Based Funding (ABF), Drug Treatment Activity Unit (DTAU) based on the number of closed courses, since September 2014.
- Aboriginal and youth-specific services are funded on the basis of an episode of care (EOC).
- Other AOD treatment grants such as research, local initiatives and pharmacotherapy programs are block funded.
- Funding for AOD prevention and control activities is based on block grants and submissions.
Adult community alcohol and other drug treatment services were re-commissioned in late 2014 and are now delivered through several treatment streams within catchment areas. These treatment streams include intake, brief intervention, counselling, care and recovery co-ordination, withdrawal, rehabilitation and pharmacotherapy.
Funded services are accountable for the appropriate use of funding and for the delivery of services specified in the service agreement. To ensure accountability, services are required to report monthly on the services they are funded to deliver through the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Collection (VADC) and other reporting. This allows both the DH and AOD funded services to monitor their progress towards agreed targets and performance measures, respond to demand for services and ensure funding accountability is met.
South Australia
South Australia reported a high proportion of episodes of treatment where amphetamines are the principal drug of concern and assessment only is the main treatment type. This is related to assessments provided under the Police Drug Diversion Initiative. This program is legislated in South Australia, unlike other jurisdictions, and therefore results in a higher percentage of assessment only services with high rates of engagement with methamphetamine users. In addition, due to the Cannabis Expiation Notice legislation in South Australia, adult simple cannabis offences are not diverted to treatment and so are excluded from the data.
The South Australian Police Drug Diversion initiative also saw a change in legislation from April 2019 [Statutes Amendment (Drug Offences) Bill 2018, where youth are no longer diverted immediately for an Assessment. Adults who have been apprehended twice in four years are no longer eligible for an Assessment.
Australian Capital Territory
ACT non-government-operated alcohol and other drug services were (re) commissioned in 2024. New deeds of grant come into effect in September 2024, and run until 30 June 2031. ACT government-operated services were not in-scope for commissioning and were unaffected.
There were only limited changes to the existing AOD treatment sector resulting from commissioning, and therefore interpretation of trends ACT AODTS MDS data is unlikely to be significantly affected by the commissioning process.
One new ACT service began reporting to the AODTS MDS in 2024–25. This service’s focus is on providing support to families and friends of people who use drugs, increasing the number of ACT treatment episodes for ‘someone else’s drug use’.
Northern Territory
As of 2018 all agencies; regardless of setting, are instructed to complete a separate assessment only episode prior to the commencement of treatment. This policy relates to monitoring the volume of assessment work performed by agencies, particularly in relation to certain alcohol-related legislatively-based programs such as the Banned Drinker Register (BDR).