Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report 2024–25

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment agencies (service outlets) can be explored by the state location or remoteness area in which the agencies are located, noting that an agency can have more than one service delivery outlet, located in different areas.

In 2024–25, of the 1,316 treatment agencies who reported to the AODTS NMDS:

• The most common locations for treatment agencies were:
  • Major cities (55%,727 agencies)
  • Inner regional areas (26%, 337)
    • Agencies in these two areas provided 90% of all treatment episodes (Figure 1, tables Agcy.3–Agcy.4).
  • Remote areas (2.7%, 36)
  • Very remote areas (2.7%, 35).
    • Agencies in these two areas provided 2.3% of all treatment episodes.

This pattern was similar across most states and territories, except for the Northern Territory due to having no Major cities or Inner regional areas.

• In the Northern Territory, 3 in 5 (52%) of all agencies were in either:
• Remote areas (39%)
• Very remote areas (13%).
  • The other half were located in Outer regional (48%) areas (Figure 1, Table Agcy.3).

Between 2015–16 and 2024–25:

• The total number of agencies delivering AOD services increased from 791 agencies in 2015–16 to 1,316 agencies in 2024–25.

Remoteness structures differ by state and territory. For further information on reporting remoteness area, see technical notes.

In 2024–25, counselling was the most common main treatment type provided by AOD agencies across all remoteness areas:

• The proportion of treatment episodes provided by agencies for counselling ranged from 31% in Major cities to 54% in Very remote areas (Figure 2, Table Agcy.6).

In 2024–25, main treatment types varied by AOD agency location by remoteness areas across jurisdictions:  

• In New South Wales, counselling was the main treatment across all areas, ranging from 34% of episodes in major cities to 100% in very remote areas.
• In Victoria, support and case management and counselling were most common across all areas:
  • Major cities (28% and 20% of episodes, respectively)
  • Inner regional (23% for both)
  • Outer regional (25% and 23% respectively).
• In Queensland, assessment only was the most common treatment in all areas, ranging from 37% of episodes in inner regional to 55% in remote areas.
• In Western Australia, counselling was most common across all areas, ranging from 56% of episodes in major cities to 91% in very remote areas.
• In South Australia, withdrawal management was highest in major cities (17% of episodes), while support and case management was higher in very remote areas (43%).
• In Tasmania, rehabilitation was most common in remote areas (100% of episodes), while counselling was most common in inner (63%) and outer regional (46%) areas.
• In Northern Territory, assessment only was most common across all areas, ranging from 30% of episodes in remote areas to 59% in outer regional areas.

See technical notes for information on reporting of the number of agencies in a particular remoteness category.