The History of Drug User Activism in Australia; by an Aussie Activist Superstar

Dont Miss this!!! If you want to find out the story of drug user activism in Australia by a woman who was not only there but integral to the very essence of active drug users doin’ it for themselves, setting limits in the sky and rockin right up to parliament house itself to get the job done – then you cannot miss this production!! From WHACK; Victorias Drug User Magazine; Annie Madden, the firebrand of an Aussie cog in the Aussie activist wheel, was asked to write about he years of experience and knowledge around the evolution of the Australian drug user history movement – and it is compulsory reading my friends! The History of Drug User Activism in Australia by AIVL’s Chief Exec and Superwoman incarnate, Annie Madden – get out your reading specs, sit back with your favourite tipple, and IV the contents of this fabulous issue….

Please click this link for the easy to read online magazine, which you can print out.

http://hrvic.org.au/docs/historyofIDUactivism/index.html

A Word About Ms Annie Madden…

Annie Madden, Chief Exec, AIVL Australia; Australia's Own Superstar Activist!

Annie Madden, Chief Exec, AIVL Australia; Australia’s Own Superstar Activist!

Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL)

Annie Madden is currently the Executive Officer of the Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL) which is the national peak body representing state and territory drug user organisations and illicit drug users at the national level. Prior to her current role, Annie was the Co-ordinator of the NSW Users & AIDS Association (NUAA) for six years. She has an honours degree in Social and Political Sciences. She is on numerous national, Commonwealth Government and research committees including the recently appointed Ministerial Advisory Committee on AIDS, Sexual Health and Hepatitis C and regularly takes extremely effective roles in global United Nation and WHO reviews, committees, global guidance publications and drug related recommendations. She has been working in the areas of illicit drug use, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis for over 14 years, has been an injecting drug user for over 18 years and on methadone for many years also. Annie is one of the world’s most inspiring women user activists who has worked tirelessly day in and day out to challenge the discrimination and human rights violations occurring to people who use drugs. And not just in Australia where she works at the top of her game, going head to head with politicians and Charity heads, doctors and do-gooders, parents and always her peers – drug users, but around the world, wherever she gets the chance to fight against ignorance and discrimination, for women who use drugs, for all of us, of any colour. Annie Madden is a woman we should all be proud of, especially, as drug users, we are lucky enough to have her on our side. Coz she is a truly kind and caring person, humble, hard working, smart and emphatic. Thanks for all you’ve done Annie Madden, and all your future will bring. We send you thanks, light and love.

Your friends at BP and around the world, those who know you, love you, and those who haven’t yet had the pleasure, thank you.

Australia’s hidden gem: A Tradition of Exceptional Drug User Orgs

Terrific examples of Drug User Run Organisations

Here is something you will rarely hear about emanating from Australia, or mooted by its politicians. Yet it is worth shouting about -and worth emulating — and demanding more recognition for its many excellent years of work outside the drugs field! In Australia, the user run, federally funded AIVL (Australian Injecting & Illicit drug users League) is an incredible, national organisation that is at the centre of the some of the best harm reduction initiatives in OZ and in the world.  Extremely well versed in drug policy and politics, AIVL  and its team of extremely able people who use/d drugs (many at the top are women!) have been tireless in their innovation, research and developments to help empower the drug using community in ways to look after themselves, each other and their communities. The publish a National user magazine called Junkmail (like our BP blog,by coincidence -(we called it Junkmail after BP’s letters page although Junkmail has been the Aussie national mag for many years)). Many states like NSW, Queensland and Victoria also have their own excellent magazines by and for users – with NSW probably having the longest running user mag in the world in Users Voice by NUAA.

Positioned as the national drug user organsiation, AIVL members stretch across Australia, and in each state there is another State ‘user run’ organisation, which has just as much oomph, savvy, and articulateness as their ‘mothership’ AIVL. Organisations like QuIVAA (Queensland Intravenous AIDS assoc) which aims to “represent the diversity of interests of injectors and illicit drug users, through systemic advocacy aimed at addressing issues affecting users in Queensland” (Fantastic!) -along with other groups in what can sometimes really seem like a police state -Northern territory for example, or where in Western Australia they lock up more indiginous folk per head of population than anywhere in the world, targeting plenty of drug users and throwing them in the lock up in the process, over and over again…Shameful.

But you really can count on the user activists in OZ to be fighting the good fight, and if you are ever searching for good quality info on harm reduction and user rights in English – here is a good place to start. BP will be adding more reviews about user orgs as we go. (Sweden next)

AIVL gives you the list of contacts for all states in Australia – great orgs to seek out should you ever be travelling there and need advice or help with scripts, legal issues, the low down on the local scene etc.

AIVL, is Australia’s national org (click here) but here is a list of Australia’s State Organisations run by and for people who use drugs.

Canberra – CAHMA  (Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocay)

QueenslandQUIVAA   (Queensland Intravenous AIDS Assoc) and

NSW – NUAA (NSW Users AIDS Assoc)