YDHF 15th birthday

On 16th October 2011 the Yarra Drug & Health Forum celebrated 15 years of community action.
A keynote address was given by Mr Sam Biondo, Executive Officer, Victorian Alcohol And Drugs Association (VAADA):
‘Fifteen years of community action: The critical role of the Yarra Drug and Health Forum in focusing agency attention toward meeting the needs of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in our community.’

Future directions of alcohol and drug services in Victoria: Minister Mary Wooldridge

Minister Mary Wooldridge, who holds the Drugs and Mental Health portfolios in the State Government, accepted our invitation to speak at a Community Forum on June 21st 2011 as part of Drug Action Week.
Ms Wooldridge agreed to speak on the issue of the future directions of alcohol and drug services in Victoria and used the opportunity to launch The Victorian Pharmacotherapy Review, a report which delivers an evidence-based options paper to ensure services remain responsive to current and future demand while improving accessibility for clients and reducing service gaps.
“The Coalition Government's commitment to expand pharmacotherapy prescribing and dispensing services responds to many of the recommendations stemming from the review,” Ms Wooldridge said.

"Drug Law Reform: International Trends": Dr. Ethan Nadelmann

In November 2010 Dr. Ethan Nadelmann, Director of the US Drug Policy Alliance visited Australia as a guest of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation. Dr. Nadelmann is widely recognised as a highly influential speaker on drug policy reform in the USA and internationally.
He gave major talks in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra and meeting with politicians and law enforcement agencies. Dr. Ethan Nadelmann spoke at only one public event in Melbourne which was held at the Melbourne Town Hall on Friday 26th November 2010.
This event proudly supported by: Anex, Australian Drug Foundation, Burnet Institute, Harm Reduction Victoria, Hepatitis C Victoria, Human Rights Law Resource Centre, City of Melbourne, Turning Point, VAADA and the Yarra Drug & Health Forum.

Alcohol Related Violence in the Community

Every Saturday night somewhere in the City violence erupts between two or more people as a result of drinking too much alcohol. The violence can be on the street, inside an entertainment venue, at a party or in a private home. The aim of this Forum is to look at some of the strategies that are being used by the State Government and Victoria Police to curb this violence and to seek other possible solutions.
Held Tuesday 21 September 2010

Guest speakers:

• Ms Sarah Jaggard, Community Mobilisation Policy Officer, Australian Drug Foundation
• Acting Inspector Peter Van Den Heuvel, Victoria Police
• Mr Adrian Pritchard, Creative Director, Boiler Room Communications, "Safer Streets" advertisements
• Mr Justin Popp, Championship Moves Campaign Manager, Strategic Communications Branch, Department of Justice

"The potential and viability of establishing a Supervised Injecting Facility (SIF) in Melbourne"

Launch of the YDHF Position Paper
Held Tuesday 22nd June 2010
Abbotsford Convent, St Heliers Street, Abbotsford
Launched by:
Professor David Penington AC
Senior Fellow of the Grattan Institute - Melbourne University and past Chair of the State Government's Drug Advisory Council 1995 - 1996.That Council produced the Report "Drugs in our Community" otherwise known as the Penington Report. Dr Penington was also Chair of the State Government's Drug Policy Expert Committee 1999 - 2000, which produced the report "Drugs: Responding to the Issues Engaging the Community".
Chair:
Sam Biondo - Executive Officer, Victorian Drug and Alcohol Association (VAADA)

Commentators:
Professor Robert Power, Burnet Institute, one of the authors of the report. Robert has worked for 25 years in harm reduction, setting up London's first peer-to-peer outreach project in 1988, and was formerly Director of the Centre for Harm Reduction in Melbourne.

Dr James Rowe, Research Fellow with the Centre for Applied Social Research and a Lecturer at RMIT, School of Global Studies, Social Science & Planning. James used to be a regular injector of heroin.

In September 2008, the YDHF conducted a Community Forum about the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross, Sydney. That forum discussed the success of the facility in improving the amenity of the general public (including shop keepers) by removing injecting off the streets, in assisting to reduce the rate of drug overdoses and blood-borne viruses amongst injecting drug users, and in providing a venue where injecting drug users could gain support and information to move into a detox program.
As a result of that forum, a working group was established to investigate the possibility of establishing a Supervised Injecting Facility (SIF) in Melbourne. At the same time, anecdotal evidence from tenants attending Office of Housing Safety Working Group meetings kept raising the question of "why can't there be a place where people can inject that isn't in the open around the flats?"
As a first step it was felt by the YDHF Working Group that a Position Paper needed to be prepared to look into the potential and viability of establishing a SIF, whether it be static or mobile or a mixture of both.
In June 2009, the Burnet Institute was commissioned to write the Position Paper which was completed in October 2009 and was launched at this Community Forum.

YDHF Oration
Worker of the Year Award Presentation 2010
Annual General Meeting

Held Tuesday 23rd March 2010 at the Fitzroy Town Hall Reading Room.
Oration presented by Professor Robin Room.

Post-Release Health Needs of Prisoners Who Use Drugs

This Community Forum was on Tuesday 23rd June (as a part of Drug Action Week 2009) at the Richmond Town Hall,

Below are the Presentations from the YDHF Community Forum. Unfortunately we do not have a copy of Donna King's presentation.
Not all of the "Hit and Miss" presentation is included because the project is not yet completed and so the interim facts presented are currently not for publication.

• Dr Susanne Davies, Convenor of Legal Studies, La Trobe University
  
• Ms Donna King, Ex Prisoner
  
• Mr Brendan Quinn & Ms Amy Kirwan, Researchers, 'Hit and Miss' Project, Burnet Institute
  
• Ms Annie Trainor, Manager, Link Out ACSO / Konnect Consortium
  
• Ms Jenny Kelsall, Team Leader, Harm Reduction Victoria
  

Below is the Link to the additional video presentation that Jenny incorporated into her presentation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do-RCrOrkpY

Drinking Alcohol In A Public Place

Date: Tuesday, 3rd March 2009

This Community Forum had two parts to it. The first part of the forum was a Power Point presentation by Georgie Hill outlining the background and research that took place in the City of Maribyrnong prior to the development of their Public Drinking Strategy 2008 - 2011 and the implementation of that strategy. The second part of the forum were presentations by Meghan Fitzgerald and Dean McWhirter addressing the question 'What role would a Local Law and a Public Drinking Strategy play in addressing the "Drinking of Alcohol in a Public Place" in the City of Yarra?'

Guest Speakers:

• Ms Georgie Hill, Senior Health & Wellbeing Planner Maribyrnong City Council
• Acting Inspector Peter Seiz, District Inspector Victoria Police
• Ms Meghan Fitzgerald, Community Development Officer/Lawyer Fitzroy Legal Service

The Impact of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Bill 2006 on Alcohol and Other Drugs Clients and Services

Date: Wednesday 3rd December 2008

The Bill raises a lot of questions about the practice of AOD Services and the possible consequences for clients e.g. is it discriminatory under the Bill if a parent can't take their children with them into rehab.
Speaker: Moira Rayner is best known in Victoria as its last Commissioner for Equal Opportunity. She has also been the Acting Deputy Director (Research) of the Australian Institute of Family Studies; and a Hearings Commissioner of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

Medically Supervised Injecting Centre - Kings Cross

Date: Tuesday, 16th September 2008

The Purpose of the Community Forum was to listen to the speakers who provided us with first hand information about the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross, their involvement in the Centre and the impact the Centre has had on the community of Kings Cross and the wider metropolitan area.

The centre was originally funded by the NSW Department of Health in 2001 as the first and only medically supervised safe injecting centre in Australia. In June 2007 it was again funded for a further 4 years.

• Guest:
• Dr Ingrid van Beek, Founding Director MSIC

• Panel Members:
• Ms Colette McGrath, Clinical Services Manager MSIC
• Ms Linda Mearing, General Manager Kings Cross Partnership (Business/Traders Association)
• Superintendent Frank Hansen, Commander Drug & Alcohol Coordination, State Crime Command NSW Police
• Cr Shayne Mallard, City of Sydney Councillor