Northern Territory

In 2020–21, 25 publicly funded alcohol and other drug treatment agencies in the Northern Territory provided around 8,000 treatment episodes to over 3,700 clients (tables Agcy.1–2, SCR.21).

The Northern Territory reported:

  • a 6.7% decrease in treatment episodes from 8,565 in 2019–20 to 7,987 in 2020–21, and a 127% increase in treatment episodes since 2011–12 (3,525) (Table ST NT.2)
  • more clients are using AOD services in 2020–21 than 2013–14, after adjusting for population growth (1,765 clients per 100,000 population compared with 1,397 per 100,000, respectively)
  • client numbers increased from 2,870 in 2013–14 to 3,776 in 2019–20 then dropping to 3,722 in 2020–21 (Table SCR.21).

The visualisation shows that 7,987 treatment episodes were provided to 3,722 clients in the Northern Territory in 2020–21. This equates to a rate of 3,786 episodes and 1,764 clients per 100,000 population, which is higher than the national rate (1,079 episodes and 618 clients per 100,000 population).

In 2020–21, most (79%) clients in the Northern Territory attended 1 agency, and received an average of 2.1 treatment episodes, which is higher than the national average of 1.7 treatment episodes (tables SCR.21, SCR.23).

Client demographics

In 2020–21:

  • most (96%) clients in the Northern Territory received treatment for their own alcohol or drug use, of which, over 7 in 10 (72%) people were male (Figure NT.1)
  • people seeking treatment for someone else’s alcohol or drug use were more likely to be female (61%)
  • over half (54%) of all people were aged 20–39 years, and 13% of people were aged 10–19 years which is higher the national proportion (11%)
  • 7 in 10 (71%) of all clients identified as Indigenous Australians, higher than the national proportion (17%)
  • nearly all (94%) people were born in Australia and nearly two thirds (64%) reported English as their preferred language, with nearly a quarter (24%) reporting Indigenous languages as their preferred language (tables SC NT.1–3, SC.3–4, SC NT.21–22).

The visualisation includes a series of horizontal bar graphs showing that, in 2020–21, over two-thirds (71%) of all clients were male, 54% were aged 20–39 and 71% were Indigenous Australians in the Australian Capital Territory. Around two-thirds (64%) listed English as their preferred language and most (94%) were born in Australia.

Patterns of service use

Over the period 2016–17 to 2020–21, 12,430 clients received treatment in the Northern Territory. Of these clients:

  • the majority received treatment in a single year (68%):
    • 15% (1,883) received treatment for the first time in 2020–21
    • a further 53% (6,567) received treatment in only one of the four collection periods (excluding 2020–21)
  • 21% (2079) of clients received treatment in any 2 of the 5 years
  • 6.9% (665) of clients received treatment in any 3 of the 5 years
  • 2.9% (247) of clients received treatment in any 4 of the 5 years
  • 0.9% (108) of clients received treatment in all 5 collection years (Table SCR.28).

Drugs of concern

In 2020–21, for clients in the Northern Territory receiving treatment episodes for their own alcohol or drug use:

  • alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern for clients (72% or 5,531 episodes) (Figure NT2; Tables ST NT.7)
  • cannabis (11% or 834 episodes) and amphetamines (10% or 777 episodes) were the second and third most common principal drugs, followed by volatile solvents (3% or 262 episodes), which is greater than the national proportion (less than 1%) (Table Drg.1).

The grouped horizontal bar chart shows that, in 2020–21, alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern in treatment episodes provided to clients in the Northern Territory for their own drug use (71.6%). This was followed by cannabis (10.8%) and amphetamines (10.1%). Cannabis was the most common additional drug of concern (21.7% of episodes), followed by nicotine (17.0%) and alcohol (8.7%).

In 2020–21, for clients receiving treatment for their own use of amphetamines:

  • methamphetamine was reported as a principal drug of concern in around 4 in 5 (84%) treatment episodes (Figure NT3a)
  • in just under half (49%) of treatment episodes where methamphetamine was a principal drug of concern smoking was the most common method of use, followed by injecting (44%) (Figure NT3b).

The line graph shows that, between 2011–12 and 2013–14, amphetamine and amphetamines not further defined were the most common drugs of concern among amphetamine-related treatment episodes for clients’ own drug use. In 2014–15, methamphetamine became the most common principal drug of concern within the amphetamines group. The proportion of methamphetamine-related episodes increased from 0.7% of amphetamine-related episodes in 2011–12 to 83.5% in 2020–21, while the proportion of episodes for amphetamines not further defined decreased from 99.3% to 15.1% over the same period.

The stacked horizontal bar chart shows the method of use for treatment episodes related to clients’ own use of methamphetamine, amphetamine, amphetamines not further defined, and other amphetamines in the Northern Territory in 2020–21. Injecting was the most common method of use for amphetamine and amphetamines not further defined (40.0% and 54.7% of episodes, respectively). Smoking was the most common method of use for methamphetamine (48.7% of episodes), while ‘Other methods’ was the most common method of use for other amphetamines (100.0%).

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 2020–21, when the client reported additional drugs of concern:

  • cannabis was the most common additional drug (22% of episodes), followed by nicotine (17%) (Table ST NT.7).

Over the period 2011–12 to 2020–21:

  • alcohol remained the most common principal drug of concern ranging from 60% (2,008 episodes in 2012–13) to 72% (5,531) over the period. The proportion of episodes for alcohol, relative to all other principal drugs of concern, remains consistently higher than the national proportion (for example, 72% compared with 37% nationally in 2020–21) (Table Drg.1).  
  • treatment for amphetamines as a principal drug increased over this period (5% to 10%) and cannabis decreased from 12% to 11%, as a proportion relative to all other principal drugs of concern.
    • within the amphetamines group, treatment for methamphetamine as a principal drug of concern was reported as the principal drug of concern in less than 1% (0.7%) in 2011–12, rising to 85% in 2017–18, dropping to 84% in 2020–21 (Figure NT3a).  The rise in methamphetamine episodes may be 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 7% in 2011–12 to 3% in 2020–21 (Table Drg.1). 

Treatment

In 2020–21, for treatment episodes in the Northern Territory:

  • assessment only was the most common main treatment (45% of episodes), followed by information and education (21%) (Figure NT4; Table ST NT.13)
  • where an additional treatment was provided as a supplementary to the main treatment, counselling (6.1%) was the most common additional treatment, followed by support and case management (5.3%) (Table ST NT.13). See technical notes for further information on calculating proportions for additional treatment type.

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 2011–12 to 2020–21:

  • assessment only remained the most common main treatment, although the proportion of episodes fluctuated (increasing from 37% in 2011–12 to 47% in 2017–18 before falling to 45% in 2020–21)
  • the proportion of episodes where counselling was the main treatment fell from 25% in 2011–12 to 14% of episodes in 2020–21
  • the proportion of treatment episodes where rehabilitation was the main treatment fluctuated since 2011–12, rising from 14% to 25% in 2016–17 then falling to 12% in 2020–21 (Table ST NT.13).

The grouped horizontal bar chart shows that, in 2020–21, the most common main treatment type provided to clients in the Northern Territory for their own drug use was assessment only (44.7% of episodes). This was followed by information and education (20.6%) and counselling (13.8%). Counselling was the most common additional treatment type (6.1% of episodes), followed by support and case management (5.3%).

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 2020–21:

  • the majority of the 25 treatment agencies were in the non-government sector (80%)
  • Outer regional areas contained the most treatment agencies (48%), followed by Remote areas (32%) (Figure NT5; Table Agcy.3).

In the 10 years to 2020–21, the number of publicly funded treatment agencies rose from 19 to 25 (Table Agcy.1).

The horizontal bar chart shows that all treatment agencies in the Northern Territory were located in Outer regional areas (12 agencies), followed by Remote areas (8 agencies) and Very remote areas (5 agencies) in 2020–21. Of the total 25 treatment agencies, most (20 agencies) were non-government agencies.