Harm minimisation policies and programs
- Alcohol:
- demand reduction:
- advertising regulation, including online
- current national drinking guidelines, including during pregnancy
- social marketing, including online
- harm reduction:
- drink driving regulations, including interlock systems and other interventions
- managed alcohol programs
- sobering-up units
- thiamine fortification of flour
- supply reduction:
- licenced premises regulation, including late night restrictions
- liquor outlet density and location
- minimum drinking age
- pricing
- Gambling and gaming:
- demand reduction:
- advertising regulation
- social marketing
- treatment availability
- harm reduction:
- supply reduction:
- gaming machine regulation, including density and numbers
- Illicit substance use:
- demand reduction:
- drug testing in workplaces
- social marketing
- treatment access
- evidence for and against supply reduction
- evidence of harm across drug types
- harm reduction:
- diversion programs
- drug driving regulations and testing
- drug policy / legalisation / regulation
- peer support programs
- pill testing
- Injecting drug use:
- demand and harm reduction:
- opioid agonist therapy for opioid dependence – public health aspects
- harm reduction:
- clean needle programs
- drug testing for high potency opioids
- hepatitis C point of care (POC) testing and treating
- medically supervised injecting rooms
- peer administered opioid antagonists
- peer worker programs
- skin and hand hygiene programs
- take-home naloxone
- Policies / Programs to reduce uptake in populations including younger people and pregnant people
- Specific approaches for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori communities
- Tobacco smoking and vaping:
- demand reduction:
- packaging
- reducing social acceptance
- smoking cessation programs and medicines
- social marketing, including online
- harm reduction:
- passive smoke exposure policies in settings including worksites and public areas
- supply reduction:
- minimum age of sales
- outlet regulation
Prevalence and harm
- Attributable fractions of disease due to alcohol, tobacco, and other substances where established
- Demographics including:
- age
- cultural background and ethnicity
- gender identity and sexual orientation
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Māori
- metropolitan / regional / remote location
- socioeconomic status
- Prevalence patterns and harms of:
- alcohol use
- driving-related harms from alcohol and other substances
- gambling and other behavioural disorders
- illicit substance use, including unsanctioned use of prescription pharmaceuticals and medicinal cannabinoids
- injecting drug use
- nicotine use
- novel psychoactive substance use
- vape use
Public health data sources
- Australian Institute of Family Studies – Australian Gambling Research Centre
- Ecstasy and Related Drug Reporting System (EDRS)
- Hospital separation datasets
- Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS)
- National Drug Strategy Household Survey
- National Health Survey (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
- National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data
- National Perinatal Data Collection
- Penington Institute reports
- Secondary Schools Survey
- Importance of public health advocacy to reform policy to reduce substance use-related harms, and harms from gambling
- International perspectives, and the role of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in assisting low- and middle-income countries
- Pharmaceutical industry promotion of inappropriate use of anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepines (z-drugs), gabapentinoids, and opioids
- Population health impacts of drink and drug driving
- Prevalence of substance-related harms and gambling in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori communities
- Recognise the need to work with communities to garner support and advice regarding public health measures
- The role of industry in promoting licit substance use and gambling, and its advocacy for non-evidence based policies
- Three pillars of harm minimisation, and evidence supporting the listed policies in these pillars:
- demand reduction
- harm reduction
- supply reduction
