Drug Summit consensus was clear – we need the NSW Government to implement its recommendations

Today, six leading social services organisations issued a Joint Statement calling on the NSW Government to urgently implement the recommendations of the Drug Summit Report.

The Statement signed by Uniting, Salvos, Wesley Mission, Vinnies, The NSW Council of Social Service NCOSS and Wayside Chapel is below, along with quotes from all six organisations.

The Joint Statement:

We fundamentally believe in the wholeness, inherent worth and dignity of every human being.

We want a society with systems and laws defined by fairness, compassion, dignity and hope.

Every day, our organisations confront inequality and injustice.

We provide holistic, integrated services to children, young people, families, those living in poverty and experiencing homelessness and the elderly. Together we serve hundreds of thousands of people across NSW.

We also work every day with people who use drugs and experience drug dependency.

Our organisations participated in the NSW Drug Summit, and we welcomed the report released in April. This presents a strong blueprint for change and reform that will save lives and help keep people safe.

The Report has a number of priority actions which include greater investment in treatment and harm reduction services so that people can access a range of supports when and where they need them.

It also recommends reforms and expansion of existing diversion initiatives so that more people feel safe to ask for the help they need and have dignifying, evidence-based and health-focused responses to their substance use and dependency.

We had hoped that the recent NSW Budget would have allocated funding to implement the recommendations of the NSW Drug Summit Report, including new funding for much-needed alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services. Whilst we welcome funding for the Dubbo Alcohol and Other Drug Residential Rehabilitation Centre, much more is needed to address the gaps in treatment across NSW so that life-saving supports for people are available when they seek them.

By implementing the priority actions outlined in NSW Drug Summit report with urgency, increasing funding for urgently needed services and making sensible changes to our laws, we can help keep the people we serve and our communities safe.

As social service and faith-based organisations, we urge the NSW Government to demonstrate leadership and respond promptly and appropriately to the findings of this report. The families and communities impacted by this issue across NSW have waited too long for change.

We see the ongoing impact that stigma has on people who use drugs and experience drug dependency and the difficulty in accessing support.

We see an overdose rate that continues to climb across the state and systems and policies that disproportionately harm the most vulnerable in the community.

We are driven by our shared experiences on the frontline, and the stories and experiences of the people we serve. We are committed to increasing partnerships with individuals who have lived and living experience and their families to collaboratively develop effective solutions.

We are inspired by our shared values to make this statement as we await the Government’s response and plan for implementation of the recommendations of the NSW Drug Summit Report.

Signed