The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook released this week showed the National Indigenous Drugs and Alcohol Committee (NIDAC) will cease to exist.
The MYEFO statement is considered an update to the Government’s Budget commitments revealed in May.
In a letter to NIDAC’s Deputy Chair, the Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash said “a decision has been made not to continue with NIDAC in its current form.”
“[To say] that we're going to save this to fill up a $40 billion black hole, but in the meantime get rid of any advice whatsoever, sort of says to me where is the commitment?”
“The federal government really has no Indigenous advisory group that has expertise in this area that they can actually go to, to seek help to see what they can do on these issues,” said former Deputy Chair Scott Wilson.
The Committee was a decade old. It had 12 members from all around the country with expertise in a number of fields related to Indigenous health policy.
“Over that decade, we’re provided a lot of good advice, a lot of good support to the federal government and governments around the country,” said Mr Wilson.
It also hosted a biennial conference on Indigenous drug and alcohol issues which saw hundreds of experts from around the country attend.
Last year, it received nearly $200,000 in government funding. According to Mr Wilson, axing NIDAC is a cost-saving measure which won’t save the government much at all.
“[To say] that we're going to save this to fill up a $40 billion black hole, but in the meantime get rid of any advice whatsoever, sort of says to me where is the commitment?”
The government has created the Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drugs (ANACAD). It replaced the Australian National Council on Drugs, which NIDAC was a part of.
Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash has tasked the Council with examining ice use across Australia as a priority issue.
The use of the drug ice is having a devastating effect on many communities, including the Aboriginal community in Sydney’s west.
According to a letter from Minister Nash’s office, the former chair of NIDAC will now become a part of ANACAD.
“I have appointed Associate Professor Ted Wilkes as Principal Advisor on Indigenous alcohol and other drugs matters. He will be supported by at least one other member with specific expertise in this area.”
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