Top Menu

National Harm Reduction Forum – August 2022

Register for the online forum

Forum overview

Forum theme

Spread the word

Sponsors

Registration

Program

Forum overview

Currently in Australia, there is no regular mechanism to unite and bring those working in and around harm reduction and related sectors together at the national level. The National Harm Reduction Forum 2022 is a new online event for important conversations on harm reduction and drug policy reform in Australia. It will provide a much-needed space for those interested in harm reduction to come together at the national level to share information, network and collaborate across jurisdictions.

The online format is designed to provide an affordable and accessible way for the widest possible range of organisations, services and individuals to participate in this national event. The inaugural forum in 2022 will focus on a tailored 3-hour online program including an opening keynote, state-of-the-art plenary speakers and a facilitated discussion panel on hot topics in harm reduction and drug policy reform including issues such as:

  • Needle & Syringe Programs (NSP)
  • Roadside Drug Testing & Driving
  • Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT)
  • Hepatitis C
  • Festivals Harm Reduction​​ (Pill Testing/Drug Checking)
  • ​​​​Decriminalisation & Law Reform
  • Policing & Law Enforcement​​ / Prisons
  • Human Rights​​​​ and Pandemic Preparedness & Responses
  • Drug Policy & Research​​

Forum theme

The theme for the HRA National Harm Reduction Forum 2022 is #HarmReduction3.0 

We decided on #HarmReduction3.0 as the theme for this inaugural national forum to get at the importance of regeneration, renewal, and innovation for tackling the frontline harm reduction and drug policy challenges we face right now. Australia rightly should value its harm reduction credentials and achievements, but nothing stands still.

As a sector and as an approach, harm reduction cannot rest on its laurels or be content with past glories. There is an urgent need for more thoughtful conversations and action on the future of harm reduction and drug policy reform in Australia. There are emerging issues and practical on-the-ground challenges facing harm reduction service providers every day. There are new generations of advocates and workers who are excited to be part of the sector and take their place on the harm reduction frontlines. But harm reduction is chronically under-resourced and drug policy is stagnating…

There is no time to rest. #HarmReduction3.0 is an invitation to imagine a new paradigm and it is a conversation that starts right here, right now! Come along and play a role in shaping the future of harm reduction and drug policy in Australia.

Register for the online forum

Spread the word

Help us spread-the-word about the National Harm Reduction Forum 2022 through your networks.

You can do this by using the digital assets provided below to:

  • Email the forum flyer to your networks
  • Post about the forum on your social media accounts using the social media tiles provided
  • Use the forum web banner on your emails and other promotional assets

Download zipped folder containing squares, banner images and flyers for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter etc.

Sponsors

This forum has been made possible through the generous financial support of following companies/organisations:

Platinum Partners

Camurus

Terumo Australia

AIVL (Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League)

ADF (Alcohol and Drug Foundation)

Kirby Institute

FDS (Family Drug Support)

Noffs Foundation

Indivior

Gold Partners

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia

La Trobe University / ARCSHS (Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society)

Abbvie

LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) In-kind sponsor

SSDP Australia (Students for Sensible Drug Policy) In-kind sponsor

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please see the Sponsorship Prospectus for more info.

Sponsorship Prospectus (pdf)

Registration

Register for the online forum

Program

10.00 – 10.10am

Forum Opens & Acknowledgement of Country

10.10 – 10.30am

Opening Address: Gino Vumbaca OAM, HRA President, Harm Reduction Australia – Who Are We and How Did We Get Here? (15 minutes and 5 mins Q&A)

10.30 – 11.00am

Opening Plenary: Facilitated by Dr Annie Madden AO, Executive Director, Harm Reduction Australia (HRA)
 
State-of-the-Art Keynote Interview with Naomi Burke-Shyne, Executive Director, Harm Reduction International (HRI) on the State of Global Harm Reduction in 2022 (10.30am – 10.45am)
 
From the Global to the Local follow-up interview with Sione Crawford, CEO, Harm Reduction Victoria  (HRVic) on key priorities for harm reduction & drug policy reform in the lead-up to the HRI23 Conference (10.45am – 10.55am)
 
Q&A (10.55am – 11.00am)
 

11.00 – 11.10am

Morning Tea Break (10 minutes)
 

11.10 – 12.25pm

Facilitated Discussion Panel: Frontline Challenges & Innovations in Harm Reduction (60 minutes + 15 minutes audience Q&A)
 

Guest Facilitator: Jenny Valentish (author, journalist, trainer) http://www.jennyvalentish.com/about/

Invited Panellists:

Dan Roden & Joe PanaiaStudents for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Western Australia – harm reduction, young people and campus organising

Leah McLeodNSW Users & AIDS Association (NUAA) – peer-based harm reduction in prisons & “Insiders News”

Tom WrightJustice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network (JHFMHN) – harm reduction in prisons

Lucy BurnettThorne Harbour Health – harm reduction and LGBTQI+ Communities

Jane DickaHarm Reduction Victoria (HRVic) – people who inject drugs, hepatitis C, overdose prevention & take-home naloxone

Assoc. Professor James Martin Criminology, Deakin University – crypto-markets, online drug distribution & the War on Drugs

Stephanie TzanetisPill Testing Australia (PTA) – fixed-site and festival-based pill testing/drug checking services

Dr Nico Clark – Medical Director, Medically Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR) – Richmond, Melbourne 

12.25 – 12.55pm

Consultation on Future HRA National Harm Reduction Forums: facilitated participant breakout groups and online polling questions (30 minutes)
 

12.55 – 1.00pm

Forum Close/Acknowledgements: HRA Executive Director – Dr Annie Madden AO (5 minutes)