Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2007–08: report on the national minimum data set [webpage]
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Drug treatment series no. 9. October 2009.

Around 154,000 alcohol and other drug treatment episodes were provided during 2007-08, an increase of about 7,000 episodes compared to 2006-07. Younger clients were more likely to receive treatment for cannabis use and older clients for alcohol use. Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2007-08: report on the National Minimum Data Set presents data such as these on publicly funded alcohol and other drug treatment services and their clients

Contribution of the Not-for-Profit Sector: Draft research report [webpage]
Australian Government, Productivity Commission, October 2009.

This draft research report was released on 14 October 2009. You are invited to examine the report and make written submissions to the Commission by COB Tuesday 24 November 2009.

Gambling: Draft Report [webpage]
Australian Government, Productivity Commission, October 2009.

This draft report was released on 21 October 2009. You are invited to examine this report and make written submissions to the Productivity Commission by Friday 18 December 2009. The final report will be prepared after submissions have been received and will be forwarded to the Government by 26 February 2010.

Online counselling, therapy and dispute resolution [webpage]
Elly Robinson / Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse, October 2009.

This report outlines a range of benefits and challenges related to online therapy.
Studies evaluating the effectiveness of online therapy have emerged in recent years, indicating that treatment programs are largely effective, particularly for anxiety, stress and depression. There are still many questions, however, regarding the right mix of online programs and face-to-face therapy, how it is best delivered and under what circumstances people will benefit.
Online provision of services shows promise for dispute resolution, with implications for separating families, but research is in its infancy. The paper concludes that online therapy has potential for use in family relationship services, either as an adjunct to face-to-face services or as an intervention in its own right, but ongoing and quality evaluation of such programs is needed.

Return on investment 2: evaluating the cost-effectiveness of needle and syringe programs in Australia 2009 [webpage]
National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales / Department of Health and Ageing , October 2009.

Investment in needle and syringe programs over the period 2000-09 resulted in an estimated 32,050 HIV infections and 96,667 HCV infections averted, substantial healthcare cost savings to government, and substantial gains in disability-adjusted life years, according to this report. For every dollar currently spent on the programs, more than four dollars will be returned (in addition to the investment – that is, five times the investment) and approximately 0.2 days of disability-adjusted life gained. Over a longer time horizon there is even greater return.

State of Australia’s Young People: a report on the social, economic, health and family lives of young people. [pdf - 4.85Mb]
Australian Government, Office of Youth, October 2009. 

This report presents a comprehensive picture of how young Australians are faring. The report’s findings were based on national data sources, existing literature, stakeholder interviews and focus groups with young people.
Overall the report presents a positive picture, showing how important young people are to our country and why it makes good economic and social sense for governments to invest in lifting outcomes for all young people.
It also highlights some areas of concern and underlines the important role that families, education and employment play in young people’s development.

Of particular interest is Chapter 12: Social Issues.
Chapter 12 looks at alcohol use, smoking and illicit drug use. Chapter 12 also looks at sexual activity, dangerous driving and safety.

Trends in estimated alcohol-attributable deaths and hospitalisations in Australia, 1996-2005 [pdf - 191.06Kb]
National Drug Research Institute, 12 October 2009.

he number of Australians hospitalised for preventable injuries and illnesses caused by risky drinking has risen by a third in a decade, and there are indications that this trend is set to continue, putting huge pressure on the healthcare system, now and in the future.

New research from the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) found that alcohol continues to be a major preventable cause of death, injury and disease for many Australians. Risky or high risk alcohol consumption caused the death of 32,696 Australians aged 15 and older in the 10 years from 1996 to 2005, and 813,072 Australians were hospitalised due to alcohol-caused injury and disease over the same period.

[Page updated - 8 December 2009]