Reducing drug-related harms in Australia through a new Reform Collaboratory

Reducing drug-related harms in Australia through a new Reform Collaboratory

In Australia, the harms associated with alcohol and other drugs cost over $35 billion per year. This project aims to address these harms by reviewing Australia’s drug laws, policies and practices. The project explores ways to reduce harms through the establishment of a ‘reform collaboratory’ comprised of professionals, affected communities, families and legal and human rights experts. Working together, the collaboratory will investigate ways to implement systems wide changes to law, policy and practice to create a less punitive and discriminatory system, and to ensure compliance with human rights. This project will also generate a roadmap for comprehensive law, policy and practice reform using methods drawn from critical judgments and legislation projects, including the feminist judgments and legislation projects, and Indigenous and queer judgments projects.

Project lead: Professor Kate Seear

ARC funding for this project: $1,181,367 (IM250100211)

Industry collaborators:

· Australian Alcohol and Other Drugs Council (also representing the peak bodies for alcohol and other drug service provision in every state and territory)

· Family Drug Support

· Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (also representing drug user organisations in the states and territories); and

· Harm Reduction Australia