Northern Territory

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Overview Client demographics Drugs of concern Treatment Agencies

In 2023–24, 24 publicly funded alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment agencies in the Northern Territory provided 5,678 treatment episodes to 3,429 clients (tables Agcy.1–2, SCR.21).

The Northern Territory reported:

  • Client numbers increased from 2,870 in 2013–14 to 3,776 in 2019–20 then dropped to 3,066 in 2022–23, before rising to 3,429 in 2023–24.
  • A 12% increase in client numbers from 3,066 in 2022–23 to 3,429 in 2023–24, and a 19% increase in client numbers since 2013–14 (2,870).
  • More clients are receiving AOD services in 2023–24 than 2013–14, after adjusting for population growth (1,560 clients per 100,000 people compared with 1,397 per 100,000, respectively) (Table SCR.21).
  • There was a 3.7% increase in treatment episodes from 5,475 in 2022–23 to 5,678 in 2023–24, and a 26% increase in treatment episodes since 2014–15 (4,508) (Table ST NT.2).

Northern Territory, 2023–24

Visualisation shows the number of treatment episodes, clients, and their respective rates per 100,000 population in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. 

Visualisation shows the number of treatment episodes, clients, and their respective rates per 100,000 population in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. 

In 2023–24, most (81%) clients in the Northern Territory attended 1 treatment agency, and received an average of 1.7 treatment episodes, which is lower than the national average of 1.8 treatment episodes (tables SCR.21, SCR.23).

Client demographics

In 2023–24:

  • Most (93%) clients in the Northern Territory received treatment for their own alcohol or drug use, of which 3 in 4 (74%) people were male (Figure NT 1)
  • People who received treatment for someone else’s alcohol or drug use were more likely to be female (58%).
  • Over half (55%) of all people were aged 20–39 years, and 13% of people were aged 10–19 years which is higher the national proportion (8.3%).
  • 7 in 10 (72%) of all clients were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people, 4 times higher than the national proportion (18%).
  • Nearly all (95%) people were born in Australia and 3 in 5 (61%) reported English as their preferred language, with 1 in 3 (32%) reporting Indigenous languages as their preferred language (tables SCR NT.1–4, SC.3–5).

Figure NT 1: AODTS clients by client type and selected demographics, Northern Territory, 2023–24

Visualisation shows a series of horizontal bar graphs showing disaggregations by client type, sex, indigenous status, age, preferred language, and country of birth in the Northern Territory in 2023–24.

Visualisation shows a series of horizontal bar graphs showing disaggregations by client type, sex, indigenous status, age, preferred language, and country of birth in the Northern Territory in 2023–24.

New and returning clients

In 2023–24:

  • 2 in 5 (43%,1,487) of all clients in Northern Territory were a new client, who had not previously received treatment since 2013–14.
  • 3 in 5 (57%, 1,932) of all clients in Northern Territory were returning clients, who have previously received AOD treatment from a service at some point since 2013–14 (see Key terminology and glossary) (Table SCR.28).

Drugs of concern

In 2023–24, among clients in the Northern Territory receiving treatment episodes for their own alcohol or drug use (5,373):

  • Alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern for clients (63%, 3,369 episodes) (Figure NT 2, Table ST NT.7).
  • Amphetamines (15%, 820) and cannabis (13%, 705) were the second and third most common principal drugs of concern.
  • Volatile solvents (3.4%, 180) were the next most common principal drug of concern, with proportions higher than the national level (less than 1%) (Table Drg.1).

Figure NT 2: Proportion of treatment episodes for own drug use, by drug of concern, Northern Territory, 2014–15 to 2023–24

Grouped horizontal bar chart shows the number of episodes with drug of concern by principal and additional drug of concern in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. Data is filtered by financial year.

Grouped horizontal bar chart shows the number of episodes with drug of concern by principal and additional drug of concern in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. Data is filtered by financial year.

In 2023–24, for clients who received treatment for their own use of amphetamines (820 episodes):

  • Methamphetamine was reported as a principal drug of concern in 3 in 4 (75%) treatment episodes (Table ST NT.6).
  • In half (50%) of treatment episodes where methamphetamine was a principal drug of concern, injecting was the most common method of use, followed by smoking (43%) (Figure NT 3; Table ST NT.10).

Figure NT 3: Proportion of treatment episodes for own drug use, by amphetamine group (2014–15 to 2023–24) or method of use (2023–24), Northern Territory (per cent)

Line graph shows number of episodes for own drug use by amphetamine group in the Northern Territory from 2014–15 to 2023–24. Data can be disaggregated by method of use in 2023–24. 

Line graph shows number of episodes for own drug use by amphetamine group in the Northern Territory from 2014–15 to 2023–24. Data can be disaggregated by method of use in 2023–24. 

Clients can nominate up to 5 additional drugs of concern; these drugs are not necessarily the subject of any treatment within the episode (see technical notes).

In 2023–24, where additional drugs of concern were reported, cannabis was the most common additional drug of concern (30% of episodes), followed by nicotine (23%) (Table ST NT.7).

Over the period 2014–15 to 2023–24:

  • Alcohol remained the most common principal drug of concern, increasing from 56% in 2014–15 (2,255 episodes) to peak at 72% in 2020–21 (5,531), falling to 63% (3,369) in 2023–24. 
    • The proportion of episodes for alcohol, relative to all other principal drugs of concern, remained consistently higher than the national proportion (for example, 63% compared with 42% nationally in 2023–24) (tables ST NT.7, Drg.1).  
  • Treatment episodes for amphetamines as a principal drug of concern increased over this period (11% in 2014–15 to 15% in 2023–24):
    • Within the amphetamines group, treatment for methamphetamine as a principal drug of concern was reported as the principal drug of concern in 57% of episodes in 2014–15, rising to 85% in 2017–18, dropping to 75% in 2023–24 (Figure NT 3).
    • The rise in methamphetamine episodes is likely related to changes in the illicit drug market and/or changes in service provider practices. 
  • The proportion of treatment episodes for volatile solvents as a principal drug of concern decreased from 11% in 2014–15 to 3.3% in 2023–24 (Table Drg.1). 

Treatment

In 2023–24, for treatment episodes in the Northern Territory (5,678):

  • Assessment only was the most common main treatment (46% of episodes), followed by rehabilitation (19%) and counselling (18%) (Figure NT 4, Table ST NT.13).
  • Where an additional treatment was provided as a supplementary to the main treatment, counselling (13%) was the most common additional treatment, followed by support and case management (8.0%) (Table ST NT.13). See technical notes for further information on calculating proportions for additional treatment type.

Assessment only in the Northern Territory 

All agencies in the Northern Territory are required to complete a separate assessment only episode prior to the commencement of treatment. This is due to a policy of monitoring the volume of assessment work performed by agencies and understanding the relationship between assessment and subsequent treatment, particularly in relation to certain alcohol-related legislative-based programs. This policy was introduced in 2018 (reported in the 2017–18 collection year).

Over the period 2014–15 to 2023–24:

  • Assessment only remained the most common main treatment type, although the proportion of episodes fluctuated (increasing from 35% in 2014–15 to 46% in 2023–24).
  • The proportion of episodes where counselling was the main treatment fluctuated from 22% in 2014–15, before falling to 13% in 2019–20 and rising to 18% in 2023–24.
  • The proportion of treatment episodes where rehabilitation was the main treatment fluctuated since 2014–15, rising from 17% (753) to 25% (1,343) in 2016–17 before falling to 12% (967) in 2020–21, then increasing to 19% (1,098) in 2023–24 (Table ST NT.13).

Figure NT 4: Proportion of treatment episodes, by treatment type, Northern Territory, 2014–15 to 2023–24

Grouped horizontal bar chart shows the number of episodes with treatment type by main and additional treatment type in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. Data is filtered by financial year.

Grouped horizontal bar chart shows the number of episodes with treatment type by main and additional treatment type in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. Data is filtered by financial year.

Agencies

The Northern Territory does not have any areas classified as Major city or Inner regional. It only has locations classified as Outer regional, Remote or Very remote.

In 2023–24:

  • The majority of the 24 treatment agencies were in non-government services (79%).
  • Outer regional areas contained the most treatment agencies (50%), followed by Remote areas (38%) (Figure NT 5, Table Agcy.3).

In the 10 years from 2014–15 to 2023–24, the number of publicly funded treatment agencies rose from 18 to 24 (Table Agcy.1).

Figure NT 5: Number of agencies, by remoteness area and sector, Northern Territory, 2023–24

Horizontal bar chart shows the distribution of agencies by sector and remoteness area in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. 

Horizontal bar chart shows the distribution of agencies by sector and remoteness area in the Northern Territory in 2023–24. 
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