Nurses Urge Government to Reconsider Funding Cuts to ADCA

The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) and the Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia (DANA) believe the decision to cease funding of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) will remove an authority that is imperative to the health and wellbeing of all Australian communities.
The ACN and DANA is urging the Government to reconsider this decision. Adjunct Professor Debra Thoms, CEO ACN, stated “the government has a responsibility to maintain a focus on reducing the harm, injury and relationship breakdown within communities, caused by the misuse of alcohol and other drugs.
“The decision to cut funding to such a vital organisation is a contradiction in terms when the damage across all sections of the Australian community is taken into consideration,” added Prof Thoms.
The ADCA has been the driving force behind several landmark projects designed to reduce the direct and indirect impacts of alcohol and drugs in society including:

• Drug Action Week, held annually in June;


• The National Drug Sector Information Service;


• The National Inhalants Information Service, the first central online information source for volatile substance misuse; and


• RADAR - the Register of Australian Drug and Alcohol Research.

Colleen Blums, President of DANA, explained that DANA benefits greatly from a close working relationship with the ADCA.
“The ADCA provides strong support and invaluable expertise by consulting regularly on major policy initiatives, such as workforce development, planning and most recently, in the major initiative - the DANA Pathways to Credentialling Program for nurses,” said Ms Blums.
As the national peak body for the Alcohol and Other Drug sector, ADCA’s central role in advancing research, providing resources and support to organisations also working within the sector, has had significant impact on workforce development, harm minimisation strategies, community awareness and education necessary to effect positive change within communities.