Our fearless fellow, Clancy William Wright, returned to Australia late last year with his Churchill Fellowship completed. Here we provide the introduction to his final report, which looks at investigating methods for initiating a cultural change around alcohol.

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My interest in achieving a cultural change around alcohol arose from the assault that wrecked the life of one of my best friends. The assault left him a shadow of his former self, cocooned in a permanent vegetative state. Both my friend and the assailant had been drinking, and I believe that had they not, or had they reduced their consumption, then this assault would most likely have not occurred. The pain this one assault caused is difficult for me to comprehend. The assault has forever transformed his life as well as leaving a horrible impact on those around him.

During the time I spent overseas undertaking my fellowship, on previous statistics, about 6,750 Australians would have been hospitalised due to an alcohol related incident, and 280 died. The trauma this translates to is immeasurable. The pain and suffering for untold families will endure for many more years to come.

Alcohol’s role in Australian life is now disproportionately negative. The 15.3 billion dollar annual cost to the Australian economy is indisputably extreme. Australia needs to achieve, through a multi-sectoral approach, a reduced level of harm by means of a cultural change around alcohol.

My Churchill Fellowship was a testing experience for me, but ultimately a very rewarding one. As a twenty four year old I was honoured to receive the Fellowship and flattered by the generosity and belief in me shown by the Churchill Trust.

I focused my Fellowship primarily on England and Scotland. I engaged with the most important and active alcohol and other drug (AOD) organisations in those countries. I took in meetings with knights and famous historians, attended conferences and lectures, sat in parliaments, marble halls and police headquarters and even took a day off to see some sights. I had planned to spend time in both Sweden and Ireland but due to illness and unforeseen circumstances these plans were altered.

The accumulation of my lessons, my report, is an achievement I am very satisfied with. Whilst many of these lessons I will take with me onwards throughout the rest of my life I am excited to share these, and what I believe to be important recommendations, with my peers, family and the Churchill Trust. I hope that the lessons outlined in this report may assist the continued work of many in the Australian community to reduce the harms of alcohol.

I believe the three topics of my report – greater sectoral cooperation, reinvigorating the alcohol debate with greater community engagement, and the role of leadership - to be of value to the Australian AOD sector. I hope that this report can in some way reduce the level of alcohol related harm and the likelihood of more families losing a loved one - and more friends losing a true friendship - to an alcohol related incident.

Clancy Wright
Youth strategy Officer, Australian Drug Foundation

Next Tuesday, 22nd March from 11am 12 noon, please join us for a live chat with Clancy Wright, Churchill Fellow.

This is your opportunity to have a chat with Clancy about investigating methods for initiating a cultural change around alcohol.

Thanks to Amanda for drawing our attention to O’Malley’s in Mildura, who are advertising the opportunity to ‘win your height in pots’!

Being relatively tall, I worked out that I could potentially win around 13 pots. Enough said.

Seen any dodgy promotions? Send them to CAAN@adf.org.au

The Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy approved the final draft of the National Drug Strategy 2010 - 2015 at its meeting held in Perth on 25 February 2011.

The Strategy is the result of an of an extensive consultation process that began in December 2009 with the release of a consultation paper and concluded in December 2010 with the close of comments on a draft of the Strategy.

The Strategy maintains the cooperative venture between the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments, as well as the non-government sector, to build safe and healthy communities by minimising alcohol, tobacco and other drug-related harms among individuals, families and communities.

It maintains the balanced approach between demand reduction, supply reduction and harm reduction that has underpinned the Strategy since its inception in 1985. The Strategy also continues the key partnership between health and law enforcement whilst acknowledging the importance of working with other sectors to address the complex causes and consequences of drug use.

The Strategy renews commitments to building workforce capacity and evidence-based and evidence-informed practice. For the first time, it includes performance measures to provide broad measures of progress.

National Drug Strategy 2010 - 2015 (PDF 215 KB)

A FREE information session

When: Wednesday 30 March, 2011
Session 1: 4.00pm– 6.00pm
Session 2: 6.00pm– 8.45pm

Where: North Shepparton Community & Learning Centre
10-14 Parkside Drive, Shepparton (opp Wanganui High School)
VicRoads Country Directory - Map 272 K4

The Australian Drug Foundation is coming to regional centres throughout Victoria to discuss alcohol issues in your community. These visits are a chance to hear from local speakers as well as learn more about what the Foundation is doing to address alcohol harms.

Session 1 - Reducing alcohol harm in the community

4.00pm (4.30pm start) – 6.00pm - For local government health workers, alcohol and other drug workers and interested parents

• Local alcohol related issues: Kelly Wells, Goulburn Valley Community Health Service
• Secondary supply: Taking action to change legislation – Sarah Jaggard, Australian Drug Foundation
• Your Shout: An honest discussion about alcohol by young people for young people – a preview of the Australian Drug Foundation’s new educational DVD.

Session 2 - Alcohol management & policies in sports clubs

6.00pm (6.30pm start) – 8.45pm - For sports clubs and their communities

• Opening address and the Good Sports program – Rod Glenn-Smith, State Manager Good Sports, Australian Drug Foundation
• A local perspective - Responsible Alcohol Victoria representative
• FREE Club Liquor Licensing Seminar (this session is in lieu of new entrants
  training)

The two sessions target different community sectors but you are welcome to come to one or both – just nominate your preference when you RSVP. Food and refreshments will be available between 6.00pm and 6.30pm for all attendees.

RSVP by Friday 25 March, 2011

adf@adf.org.au or (03) 9278 8100

The 6th International Conference on Drugs and Young People: Making the Connections (May 2-4, 2011, Melbourne) will provide a valuable opportunity for organizations and companies to:

• meet and engage with a broad cross section of practitioners
• profile your programs, services and resources
• access key policy makers and decision makers
• discuss future trends with researchers
• demonstrate your support and commitment to this important issue and those who work in it.

With stunning views overlooking Melbourne and the Yarra River, the trade exhibition will be the central conference hub. The welcome reception, lunch, morning and afternoon tea daily will take place within this area ensuring maximum traffic throughout the conference.

Special rates are available for Not-for-profit exhibitors!

Details are available at the 6DYP website or contact Rosemary McClean via email on rosemary@adf.org.au or on 03 9278 8117
 

Police put the hard word on both parties over pub lockouts
The Australian, 9 March, 2011
Legislation to combat drunks and an investment in new technologies such as automatic number plate recognition are high on the wish list for NSW police to face the challenges of policing in the 21st century.

Sobering advice for new regulators
Sydney Morning Herald, 9 March 2011
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has offered a very sobering piece of advice on how regulators should go about preventing any future financial crises.

Drugs, alcohol costing us $14b a year: report
Brimbank Weekly, 8 March, 2011
AN investigation into Victoria's drug and alcohol services has delivered a damning assessment of the sector's management. An auditor-general's report tabled in Parliament last week found that problems identified 14 years ago continue to plague the sector.

Tennant to get sobering up shelter
7 News, 8 March 2011
The construction of a new sobering up shelter in Tennant Creek is long overdue, the Barkly Region Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Group says. The Federal Government says building will soon start on the shelter, which will provide care and supervision for up to 4,000 people per year.

Fevola returns but on grog drug
The Daily Telegraph, 9 March 2011
One pill and Brendan Fevola will be cured. No more drinking. No more compulsive gambling. No more headlines from the AFL's serial bad boy. If only Fev had turned to the controversial pharmaceutical drug naltrexone sooner.

Leaders avoid louts and liquor trading
The Australian, 10 March 2011
The NSW election campaign continues to be a content-free zone, easily trumped in the news game by footy scandals and C-grade candidates. One issue that Kristina Keneally and Barry O'Farrell are steering away from is alcohol-related violence and limits on liquor trading, the most effective and proven tool available to policymakers to reduce assaults.

Interactive: How your lifestyle shortens your life
news.com.au, 11 March 2011
Being born black in Australia is as much of a health risk as being a regular smoker or drastically overweight.  That is the clear message from the data included in government figures used to compile the annual Closing the Gap report, released last month but overshadowed by the wave of natural disasters hitting Queensland and other states.