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

In 2024–25, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people accounted for 19% (24,629) of people aged 10 and over who received treatment or support for their own or someone else’s alcohol or drug use (45,158 treatment episodes) (Table SCR.26). There has been a 1.6% increase in First Nations people receiving AOD treatment services compared with the previous year.

Nationally, the rate of First Nations people who received treatment remains high:

• In 2024–25, 3,064 per 100,000 people received treatment for alcohol or drug use (crude rate).
• Crude rates have risen for First Nations people from 2,800 per 100,000 people in 2016–17 to 3,064 in 2024–25.
• In 2024–25, First Nations people were 7 times as likely as non‑Indigenous Australians to receive treatment (3,125 per 100,000 people compared with 457 per 100,000, age standardised rates) (Figure 1, Table SCR.26).

Client profile

In 2024–25:

• 1 in 5 people who received treatment for their own alcohol or drug use were First Nations people (20%).
• 1 in 10 people who received treatment for someone else’s alcohol or drug use were First Nations people (12%).
• 3 in 5 (60%) First Nations clients were male and 2 in 5 (39%) were female.
• 3 in 4 (78%) First Nations clients were aged 20 to 49 years.
• Indigenous status was not reported for 3.5% (4,504) of clients (Figure 2, tables SC.5–SC.8).

Profile of new and returning First Nations clients

In 2024–25:

• 35% (8,535) of First Nations clients received treatment for the first time (new clients), (had not previously received treatment since 2013–14).
• 65% (16,094) of First Nations clients had previously received AOD treatment from a service at some point since 2013–14 (returning clients), when client reporting was enabled (Table SCR.28).

Principal drug of concern

The most common drugs of concern that First Nations people received treatment for were:

• Alcohol (32% of clients), methamphetamine (27%), cannabis (20%), and heroin (5.3%).
• 3 in 5 (58%, 111) clients who received treatment for volatile solvents were First Nations people (Figure 3, Table SC.11).

National trends in principal drugs of concern have changed over time. The crude rate of First Nations people who received treatment for:

• Alcohol rose from 1,026 per 100,000 people in 2016–17 to 1,043 in 2024–25 (after peaking in 2022–23 at 1,176).
• Methamphetamine rose from 806 per 100,000 people in 2019–20 to 902 in 2024–25 (Table SCR.26). Note that in 2019–20 improvements in data reliability for methamphetamine as a principal drug of concern led to greater consistency in reporting.

In 2024–25, after adjusting for differences in age-structure, First Nations people were:

• Ten times as likely to receive treatment for heroin (age standardised rate ratio) as non-Indigenous Australians (202 per 100,000 compared with 21 per 100,000).
• Six times as likely to receive treatment for alcohol as non-Indigenous Australians (1,132 per 100,00 compared with 196 per 100,000).
• Nine times as likely to receive treatment for methamphetamine as non-Indigenous Australians (931 per 100,000 compared with 109 per 100,000).
• Eight times as likely to receive treatment for cannabis as non-Indigenous Australians (583 per 100,000 compared with 72 per 100,000) (Figure 3, Table SCR.26).

Main treatment

In 2024–25:

• For First Nations people who received treatment for their own alcohol or drug use (23,352):
  • Counselling was the most common main treatment type (36% of clients), followed by assessment only (26%).
• For First Nations people who received treatment for another person’s alcohol or drug use (1,277):
  • Support and case management (42%) was the most common, followed by counselling (32%, Table SC.20).

Clients can receive one or more treatment episodes within the reference year.

Referral into treatment and the setting for treatment varied by treatment type for First Nations clients:

• 34% of referrals into treatment were from a family member or a self-referral, followed by health services (27%) and correctional services (17%).
• Clients who received withdrawal management (56%) or pharmacotherapy (50%) for their own alcohol or drug use, were most likely to be referred by a family member or a self-referral.
• Clients who received information and education were most likely referred by a health service (46%).
• In non‑residential settings, the most common treatments were counselling (86%) and pharmacotherapy (96%).
• In residential treatment settings, the most common treatments were rehabilitation (64%) and withdrawal management (74%) (Figure 4 and 5, tables SC.21 and SC.22).

Australian Government-funded First Nations AOD reporting

The Australian Government funds primary health care services and substance use services specifically for First Nations people. These services may be in scope for the AODTS NMDS, but the majority of the services currently do not report to the NMDS. As a result, the number of First Nations clients and treatment episodes will be under-estimated. Refer to the technical notes for further details on data collection and funding of First Nations AOD services.