NIIS - NT

Northern Territory

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Projects and community groups

Amity Community Services -Darwin

Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Indigenous Communities Project 2008-2009

A one year project, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, aimed at reducing the health and social harms associated with volatile substance misuse (VSM) in the Top End region of the Northern Territory. The purposes of the project are to:

develop systems and processes that reduce supply and associated harms in the Greater Darwin region;
increase the capacity of Indigenous communities, in the Darwin region, to reduce the harms and demands of alcohol, drugs and volatile substances; and
increase the capacity of Amity Community Services and other service providers, individually and collectively, to work with Indigenous communities.

Specifically the project will:

work with retailers to reduce the supply of volatile substances for misuse;
advocate and lobby to strengthen Northern Territory legislation relating to VSM;
collect anecdotal information relating to volatile substance misuse;
develop inter-agency protocols to respond to VSM for the Darwin region, enhancing a multi-level service delivery contributing to harm minimisation in the Darwin region;
work in partnership with government departments and other community organisations to increase coordination between services and access for Indigenous communities; and
work with specific Indigenous communities, and relevant organisations, to increase community strengths and build healthy lifestyles. This may involve facilitating and supporting community initiatives, assisting in the development of community plans and assessments, increasing access to relevant information, and helping with submissions and accessing funding.

For further information on the project please contact Amity Community Services on (08) 8944 6565.

Mt Theo-Yuendumu Substance Misuse Program (MYSMAC) [website]

"The Mt Theo Program is the primary organisation responsible for addressing substance misuse in the Warlpiri region. In 1994, as a community response to crisis levels of sniffing in Yuendumu, Mt Theo Outstation was opened. The success of our efforts led to the establishment of the Mt Theo-Yuendumu Substance Misuse Aboriginal Corporation (MYSMAC) in 1998, and the Program is now recognized nationally and internationally as providing an effective and innovative response to substance misuse."

Youth Wellbeing Project -Council for Aboriginal Alcohol Program Service (CAAPS) [website]
This project has four main aims:

Reduce the incidence of inhalants abuse by youth in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

Increase the social and emotional well being of communities by promoting awareness and increasing access to health services.

Provide accredited training for community and other service members to deal with inhalants abuse.

To work collaboratively with Indigenous communities and other service providers to develop a community approach to tackle inhalants abuse.

Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service (CAYLUS) [website]

CAYLUS (Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service) is a Commonwealth funded youth wellbeing project that has been dealing with inhalant abuse in Central Austraila since 2002. We have experience and information we are happy to share on issues such as supply reduction strategies for petrol and other inhalants, demand reduction strategies from short term projects answering high need situations to long term regional youth development programs, community based and outstation rehabilitation service support, community education and partnership programs, media strategies, advocacy in relation to policy development, casework, support for legislation development and implementation.

CAYLUS are happy to be contacted for further information. You can reach them on (08) 8951 4236

Petrol Sniffing Prevention Program (PSPP) [website]
Managed by the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) the key components of the Petrol Sniffing Prevention Program are:

Supply of subsidised Opal fuel to Indigenous communities, roadhouses, petrol stations and other relevant fuel outlets.
Communication activities, aimed at supporting the promotion and implementation of the PSPP as well as the government approach to petrol sniffing.
Information resources related to Opal fuel and petrol sniffing in general.
Treatment and respite monitoring. These services will be provided in conjunction with the relevant States and Territories.
Data collection.
Evaluation of the PSPP.

Aboriginal Resource and Development Service Inc. (ARDS) [website]

Glue and Petrol sniffing Education Programs

Hear Glue and Petrol Sniffing programs in Yolŋu Matha, with some English back translations. [website]

BushMob Inc. - Alice Springs [website]
BushMob Inc. are an independent organisation that have been working with inhalant and other drug affected high risk youth in Alice Springs since 1999. They run a small residential drug stabilisation and treatment facilty for youth aged between 12-18. In addition to this BushMob also have Intensive Outreach Case Management and Bush Adventure Therapy programs in both Alice Springs town camps and remote areas. Other programs include a media program - BushMob Media, and a peer and mentor program - StrongMob.

If you have a project you would like us to add to this page please email us.

Northern Territory government web pages

Department of Health and Families - Alcocol and other Drugs. Volatile Substances [website]

Select Committee on Substance Abuse in the Community (2004), Petrol sniffing in remote Northern Territory communities. Darwin: Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. [pdf - 503 kB]

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Legislation

Northern Territory legislation homepage. [website]

The legislation in the Northern Territory relating to inhalants abuse:

VOLATILE SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION ACT (Effective 1 July 2008) [website]
An Act to provide for the prevention of volatile substance abuse and the protection of individuals and communities from harm resulting from volatile substance abuse, and for related purposes.