Addiction — to alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription medications, and increasingly behavioural addictions — affects hundreds of thousands of Australians and their families. Government and philanthropic investment in addiction treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support is substantial but faces ongoing demand that exceeds supply. Understanding this funding landscape matters for treatment services, harm reduction organisations, community health providers, and funders committed to addressing substance use.
Scale
Who is most affected
Primary Health Networks (PHNs)
PHNs are the primary commissioners of community-based alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment in Australia:
- Outpatient counselling services
- Residential withdrawal (detox) services
- Community-based rehabilitation
- Opioid treatment programmes (pharmacotherapy — methadone, buprenorphine)
- Harm reduction programmes
Australian Government AOD treatment funding
Federal funding for AOD treatment through Department of Health:
- National Drug Strategy implementation
- Residential rehabilitation facility funding
- Indigenous AOD services (through AODS programmes)
State government treatment funding
States fund significant AOD treatment:
- Residential rehabilitation
- Public hospital detox services
- Outpatient counselling
- Needle and syringe programmes
Medicare
GPs can access Medicare items for AOD-related care:
- General practitioner management plans for substance use
- Opioid treatment prescribing (pharmacotherapy)
- Mental health and AOD integrated care
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is one of Australia's largest AOD service providers — treatment and recovery alongside faith-based mission. Significant fundraising alongside government contracts.
The Ted Noffs Foundation
Youth-specific drug and alcohol programmes — residential rehabilitation, community-based, school-based.
The Buttery
Residential rehabilitation in regional NSW — philanthropic alongside government funding.
Wesley Mission and Uniting
Church-based organisations providing AOD services with philanthropic fundraising.
Paul Ramsay Foundation
Social disadvantage focus — AOD intersects with poverty and housing.
John T. Reid Charitable Trusts
Some AOD-related philanthropy.
Community foundations
Local community foundations fund community AOD programmes — particularly harm reduction and community recovery support.
Withdrawal management (detox)
Medically supervised withdrawal:
- Residential detox (inpatient)
- Home-based withdrawal (community detox)
- Hospital detox services
Residential rehabilitation
Residential therapeutic communities and rehabilitation programmes:
- Therapeutic community (TC) model (12+ months)
- Short-term residential rehabilitation (4-12 weeks)
- Faith-based residential programmes (Salvation Army, Teen Challenge)
Pharmacotherapy (opioid treatment)
Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder:
- Methadone maintenance
- Buprenorphine (Suboxone, Sublocade)
- Naltrexone (for alcohol and opioids)
Counselling and psychological treatment
Harm reduction
Community-based recovery support
Ice and methamphetamine
Specific investment in methamphetamine-affected communities:
- Community-based treatment accessible without long waiting lists
- Outreach to remote communities
- Family support (families of people using methamphetamine)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander AOD
Culturally appropriate AOD programmes for First Nations communities:
- Community-controlled AOD services
- Land-based healing programmes
- Family and community-centred approaches
- Harm reduction adapted for Indigenous contexts
Evidence base
PHNs and government funders require evidence-based treatment approaches. Reference clinical guidelines (NHMRC alcohol guidelines, opioid treatment guidelines), treatment frameworks, and evaluated programmes.
Integration with mental health
AOD and mental health comorbidity is extremely common — applications that address dual diagnosis (both AOD and mental health) are stronger. Show your capacity for integrated care.
Harm reduction philosophy
Funders' philosophy on harm reduction varies — some require abstinence-based approaches, others embrace harm reduction. Know your funder's position and frame accordingly.
Waitlist reduction
Long waitlists for AOD treatment cause preventable harm. Show how your programme reduces waiting times and improves access.
Cultural responsiveness
For programmes serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, demonstrate cultural responsiveness — ideally Indigenous-led or co-designed.
Lived experience peer workers
Peer workers — people with lived experience of substance use and recovery — are increasingly valued in AOD services. Show how you employ and support peer workers.
Tahua's grants management platform supports AOD treatment organisations and health funders — with programme outcome tracking, client journey management, clinical milestone monitoring, and the tools that help addiction treatment providers demonstrate recovery outcomes and manage complex PHN and philanthropic funding portfolios.