Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services

IMPACT Community Services has been selected by the Australian Government to manage the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Treatment Services grant opportunity for the Bundaberg-Hervey Bay region. This initiative is part of a national investment of up to $49.256 million (GST exclusive) to improve access to community-led, culturally safe, place-based and holistic AOD treatment services across four regions in Australia.

Our Vision

We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity to recover, reconnect and thrive. AOD services are part of a broader commitment to mental health and wellbeing, aligning with state and national strategies for reform and integration.

Our Role

While IMPACT does not deliver AOD treatment directly, our role is to:

• Facilitate a community co-design process
• Develop a regional services plan based on community input
• Administer a transparent and competitive tender process for service delivery

We are proud to be working in partnership with Indigenous Workstars, a specialist Indigenous service provider, to ensure First Nations voices are central to the design and delivery of services.

Community Co-Design

Through a series of workshops and group sessions held across the region, we are using the feedback provided to shape a local model of care.

The community workshops were open to the public and brought together people with lived experience of substance use, families and carers, health and community service professionals and other interested community members.

IMPACT’s Mental Health Manager, Jannene Thorn and General Manager for Innovation Nathan Spruce led the workshops. The topics discussed at each of the workshops were:

• Early intervention and prevention
• Treatment and rehabilitation
• Holistic and supportive care
• Systems and workforce development
• There was also space for community-driven conversations to be raised.

Thank you to the many individuals and organisations who contributed their time and insights. Your voices are shaping the future of AOD services in our region.

Departmental Questions

As part of the community co-design process, it became clear there was clarification required from the Department on several topics. To ensure transparency, here are the key questions Nathan Spruce has asked, along with the responses:

1. Can organisation from out of region apply? Yes, but they need to demonstrate that they are not duplicating an existing service.
2. Can the service support service delivery to under 18s? We believe the answer to this is a yes but are awaiting final confirmation.
3. Can the funding be used to support screen and gambling addictions? No, these cannot be supported under this funding.
4. When can organisations start applying for the funding? We had originally hoped to start accepting funding applications from August but now this looks like it will be pushed out to September/October.
5. Will the initiative be extended to make up for lost time? We believe the answer to this will be yes but are awaiting final confirmation.

Please note we still have questions we are awaiting responses for.