New ATODA Board and Annual Report

Message from the President
It has been a very busy twelve months for ATODA. The organisation’s reputation and influence has continued to grow during this time. This year we have seen ATODA’s evidence-based submissions taken up through funding, policy, practice and research decisions. Examples include:
- In response to a 36% (2010 - 2014) increase in demand for drug treatment and support services, both government and non-government specialist drug services received additional funding for the first time through the 2015-2016 ACT Budget.
- There has been a commitment from the ACT Government for the new Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm to be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled.
- The ACT Government has maintained an evidence-based response to increasing methamphetamine related harms, recognising that people who are using methamphetamines are experiencing greater harms (severity). It has prioritised strategies to: enable greater access to specialist drug services; better equip frontline workers to support clients and families experiencing methamphetamine-related harms; and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services to design and develop specific responses.
- As a result of representations by ATODA, the ACT was included as a jurisdiction in a National Health and Medical Research Council funded Tackling Nicotine Together cluster randomised controlled trial examining the effectiveness of an organisational systems changes intervention at increasing smoking cessation rates in drug and alcohol services.
- The ACT Government has actioned many of the recommendations in policy, practice and funding from ATODA’s first monograph, Reducing smoking in the ACT among. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who are pregnant or who have young children.
- The ACT is considering developing a swift, certain but not severe pilot project to respond to alcohol and drug related offending. ATODA held policy forums and roundtables with international speakers on the topic in 2013 and 2015.
ATODA has continued to effectively support its membership and stakeholders to continuously build their capacity to work in partnership to support those affected by alcohol, tobacco and other drug use.
ATODA’s strategic plan has been effective in guiding the organisation’s work. The organisation has sought to maximise its impacts on the health and other outcomes of our community within limited resources.
The level of commitment and quality of activity of both ATODA members and staff over the last twelve months has been exceptional. For their work and dedication I would like to thank:
- the ATODA members and stakeholders
- the ACT and Australian Governments
- my colleagues on the ATODA Board
- the staff team Carrie Fowlie, Amanda Bode, Dave Corby, Julie Robert and Anke van der Sterren
- consultant to ATODA David McDonald.
Anne Kirwan
President, ATODA
ATODA Board 2015 - 2016
The 6 th ATODA Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday 26 November 2016.
We would like to congratulate the new members of the ATODA Board and thank the continuing members for their service. The ATODA 2015 – 2016 Board membership is:
Anne Kirwan |
President |
CatholicCare Canberra and Goulburn |
Sharon Tuffin |
Vice President |
Karralika Programs Inc |
Gerard Byrne |
Treasurer |
Salvation Army |
Jill Hughes |
Secretary |
Alcohol and Drug Services, ACT Health |
Sione Crawford |
Member |
Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy |
Susan Clarke-Lindfield |
Member |
Toora Women Inc (Additional member appointed under 15.1 (e) of the ATODA Constitution) |
Fiona Trevelyan |
Member |
Directions |
Rebecca Wood |
Member |
ACT ATOD Workers Group Representative |
Md Mofizul Islam |
Member |
Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University (Additional member appointed under 15.1 (e) of the ATODA Constitution) |
Thank you to the members who served on the ATODA Board in 2014-15:
- Geoff Ward, Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy - Vice President
- Camilla Rowland, Karralika Programs Inc – Member
- Ronan O’Connor, Ted Noffs Foundation - Member
ATODA Annual Report
The ATODA 2014-2015 annual report can be downloaded here.
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