This report describes changes in spending patterns at venues licensed to sell alcohol associated with the introduction of local alcohol policies for two areas; Waimakariri and a joint local alcohol policy in Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty. The analysis found no evidence for a reduction in total spending at on-licences in the areas examined.

In 2017–18, 952 publicly-funded alcohol and other drug treatment services provided just under 210,000 treatment episodes to an estimated 130,000 clients. The four most common drugs that led clients to seek treatment were alcohol, amphetamines, cannabis and heroin. Two-thirds (66%) of all clients receiving treatment were male and the median age of clients was 34.

Between September 2018 and January 2019, five young people died after attending music festivals in NSW. While there has been much policy deliberation surrounding these events, these tragedies have highlighted a lack of current and localised information about the circumstances surrounding acute harm events following drug use among Australian festivalgoers.

This article will be useful to practitioners seeking to understand the sensitivities surrounding discussion of alcohol and drugs (AOD) in relation to domestic and family violence (DFV), and will assist them in navigating these sensitivities to improve service coordination and thus deliver better outcomes for those affected by DFV.

This submission to the 2019 Liquor Bill draws on the cultural authority of an Aboriginal board which governs North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) as an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation.