Office of Alcohol and Other Drugs

On 1 July 2024, the Mental Health Commission (the Commission) launched its dedicated Office of Alcohol and Other Drugs as part of a broader package of reforms to strengthen and elevate alcohol and other drugs governance in Western Australia.

The Office of Alcohol and Other Drugs (the Office) is responsible for informing, developing, and overseeing the State Government’s alcohol and other drugs strategy and system-wide strategic policy reform. It drives interagency coordination and strengthens intergovernmental and sector-wide relationships to achieve better outcomes for the Western Australian community.

Key priorities for the Office within its first year of operation will include working across Government and with the wider sector to establish strategic priorities and plan for the development of a dedicated alcohol and other drugs interagency framework.

Implementation Plan

Following the findings from the Independent Review of the Health Services Act 2016, an Alcohol and Other Drugs Governance Working Group (the Working Group) was convened in October 2023 to inform optimal governance arrangements. Membership consisted of peak body, sector and consumer representatives, and representatives from the Commission and Department of Health. The Working Group considered strategies to elevate alcohol and other drugs within the broader system, which were aligned to an agreed set of guiding principles.

In addition to the establishment of the Office, the Commission will deliver a suite of strategies to discharge the principles of the Working Group and elevate the focus of alcohol and other drugs across the broader system.

You can read about the Commission’s plan to strengthen alcohol and other drugs governance here.

The Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board as well as other governance arrangements will  provide advice, and be regularly updated on, the delivery of the strategies outlined in the plan, and the Commission will formally report on progress within its Annual Report.