In July 2022, Inside Policy was engaged by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) to conduct national consultations on its funding initiative, Strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Alcohol and Other Drugs Treatment Services (the Initiative). The Initiative is intended to improve outcomes for First Nations people and communities directly and indirectly impacted by substance use.

The overarching aim of the consultation process is to reach consensus among AOD sector stakeholders to determine how the funding available through the Initiative should best be applied to obtain maximum benefit for Indigenous Australians seeking AOD treatment.

The national consultation process is taking place over two stages. This Key Findings Report 1 details the key findings and overarching themes identified following the completion of Stage One. The expertise and experience of a wide range of key stakeholders were drawn upon to identify the priority areas for funding to make an informed assessment about the optimal, overall split of the available funding across the three streams:

• Stream 1: Service delivery,
• Stream 2: Workforce support and data processing, and
• Stream 3: Capital infrastructure.

NIAA acknowledges that the amount of additional funds available will not address all the unmet needs and gaps in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander AOD treatment service across Australia. However, through Stage One, NIAA encouraged stakeholders to voice broad ranging concerns throughout the consultation process with a view to using the information to further work with all jurisdictions to help address those issues. The information may also be useful to participating stakeholders in Stage Two of the consultations and in a broader sense.

The report has been released in two stages, please find both reports below:

• Stage One - 28 November 2022
• Stage Two - 18 September 2023