The Australian Alcohol and other Drugs Council (AADC) is the national peak body representing the alcohol and other drugs sector.
Our history
AADC was established in July 2017, following the closure of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA), and formally commenced operations in April 2020.
Our reach
Through our members, AADC represents:
- over 550 AOD specialist health services working to prevent and reduce harms which can be associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs, including more than 80% of the non-government organisations that receive federal funding to deliver services and support to people using alcohol and other drugs
- more than 1600 specialist practitioners working in alcohol and other drug services in the areas of prevention and early intervention, as well as treatment settings representing all treatment types including counselling, detoxification, residential and non-residential rehabilitation, opiate replacement therapy, and harm reduction and prevention services
- researchers and policy specialists dedicated to building the evidence-base to support robust, high impact practice and programs, and
- people who use or have used alcohol and other drugs, and their families.
Our members
AADC’s founding members comprise each state and territory peak body for the alcohol and other drugs sector; other national peak bodies relating to the alcohol and other drugs sector; and professional bodies for those working in the alcohol and other drugs sector. They are:
The Drug Policy Modelling Program is an associate member of AADC.
AADC’s membership is designed around a representative model. Every organisation eligible for ordinary membership of AADC must be a representative body able to demonstrate it represents one or more of our key sector constituencies, namely: specialist health services working to prevent and reduce harms that can be associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs; practitioners working in AOD treatment settings and the areas of prevention and early intervention; researchers and evidence-informed policy specialists in the AOD field; and, people who use or have used alcohol and other drugs and their families. AADC’s specific member categories are nominated in clause 13 of our constitution. Any organisation which believes it fits into one or more of these categories can submit an expression of interest in becoming a member of AADC to our Board.
Our People | Board Members
Jill Rundle | Chairperson
Jill is the CEO of the Western Australian Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (WANADA). Jill is passionate about systemic advocacy, the need to recognise alcohol and other drug use primarily as a health concern, and the unique value of the specialist service sector. Her work has encompassed strategies to promote equitable access to alcohol and other drug services, sector capacity building and cross-sector collaboration. Jill developed the WA AOD Sector Quality Framework in 2004 which is now an international accreditation standard for the alcohol and other drug service sector.
Peter Burnheim
Peter Burnheim is the Executive Officer for the Association of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies Northern Territory (AADANT). With a background in Biomedical Sciences and Addiction Studies, Pete is a strong advocate for evidence-based policy with a focus on equity and the rights of the individual. Having lived in the Northern Territory for nearly 20 years, with many of those spent working across the Social Services sector, he has developed a broad understanding of the challenges facing his jurisdiction and the need for delivery of a strong alcohol and other drug treatment sector to drive advancement for Territorians.
Rebecca Lang
Rebecca is the CEO of the Queensland Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (QNADA). Rebecca is an experienced systems advocate with a background in organisational quality improvement. She is a member of the Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and other Drugs (ANACAD), the principal expert advisory body to the Australian Government on issues relating to alcohol and other drugs. Rebecca also sits on the advisory board of the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research (NCYSUR) and the board of Unharm.
Leanne Hides
Professor Leanne Hides is the President of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs (APSAD). She hold the Lives Lived Well Chair in Alcohol, Drugs and Mental Health and is the Deputy Director of the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research at The University of Queensland. Leanne is a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of clinical and research experience in the treatment of substance use problems. Most of this work is conducted in partnership with government and non-government organisations to ensure research can be translated into practice.
Chloe Span
Chloe is the Victorian Clinical Services Manager for Family Drug Support (FDS) Australia and is responsible for running support groups, community workshops and the FDS flagship program, ‘Stepping Stones’ for families supporting someone affected by alcohol and drug use. She has a background in case management for people receiving unemployment benefits, is the Founding Secretary of Students for Sensible Drug Policy Australia (SSDP), a Board Member of Harm Reduction Australia (HRA), and a registered Social Worker with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). In the past, Chloe was selected for the 2021 AASW Excellence Award of ‘Student of the Year’ and more recently, the 2022 Tandem Carers Individual Community Award for ‘exceptional compassion and consistent support to families in AOD.’
Robert Stirling
Robert is the CEO of the Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies (NADA) in NSW. Robert has worked in the AOD sector for over 15 years across the government and non-government sectors. He sits on a number of committees representing the non-government AOD sector, including as a board director for the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED). Robert holds qualifications in public health and community management, and is currently undertaking a doctorate exploring performance measurement of AOD treatment.
Our People | Staff
Melanie Walker | Chief Executive Officer
Melanie is the CEO of AADC and is based in Canberra. Immediately prior to taking up this role, Melanie was Chief of Staff to the ACT’s Deputy Chief Minister. She has also been the CEO of the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL), a consultant in the ACT alcohol and other drugs sector, Deputy CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia and a senior public servant in the Australian Government Departments of Health and Human Services and ACT Health. Prior to that, Melanie was coordinator of an AOD service, an adviser to a former ACT Chief Minister and Senator for QLD, as well as having worked with the former Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia and as a broadcast journalist.
James Dunne | Policy and Projects Coordinator
For more than 15 years James has worked in policy and research roles within government, non-government organisations and universities in Australia, Scotland and Hong Kong, including with the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society. James has a long history of working in member-based organisations at the regional and national level, and has a passion for improving health and wellbeing outcomes for people who use drugs. James is a former board member of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations and current Fellow at the Centre for Criminology at The University of Hong Kong.
