Chapter 1 provides an overview of the current state of play for the provision of drug rehabilitation services in regional, rural and remote New South Wales. This includes a discussion of the problem of drug addiction in regional areas, and information about the services available, funding arrangements and the process for patients to access facilities. While this inquiry has focused on addiction to illegal drugs, it has also encompassed alcohol addiction, as often these addictions go hand-in-hand.

Chapter 2 provides an overview of each region that the committee visited during the inquiry, noting the services available as well as the gaps that were identified by local inquiry participants. The committee travelled to Nowra and Batemans Bay on the South Coast, Dubbo and Broken Hill in the West and Far West, and Grafton and Lismore on the Far North Coast. A theme that emerged throughout the inquiry was that many in the community are unaware of all the services available in their local area and broader region. This chapter therefore provides a snapshot of each region to the best of the committee's knowledge. The issue of improving publicly available information about drug rehabilitation services will be explored in the next chapter.

Chapter 3 discusses key improvements to the provision of rehabilitation services in regional, rural and remote New South Wales which have been identified by inquiry participants. Overall, participants considered that there is a lack of funding in drug and alcohol rehabilitation which means that there are a lack of facilities, beds and staff. However, inquiry participants also identified the need for funding to be distributed responsibly. This chapter therefore goes on to consider improvements in the areas of service delivery and publicly available information, as well as data collection, effective planning, measuring success and the oversight of facilities. The chapter concludes by discussing staffing and funding concerns. Issues specific to Aboriginal people living in regional, rural and remote New South Wales are discussed in chapter 4.

Chapter 4 examines the provision of drug rehabilitation services for Aboriginal people in regional, rural and remote New South Wales. It commences by discussing the relationship between Aboriginal disadvantage and drug and alcohol addiction, before providing an overview of the drug and alcohol services currently available to Aboriginal people in regional New South Wales. The chapter then discusses the need for more Aboriginal-specific services, including treatment that is available on country. Finally, this chapter explores Aboriginal staffing levels and training, and the Koori Court.