The draft program for the Anex 09 Australian Drugs Conference – Drugs in Hard Times is now available.

Opening Plenary with Dr Alex Wodak (Director, Alcohol and Drug Service, St Vincent’s Hospital)

Other Plenary Speakers include:

Vickie Roach

Nicknamed the Eddie Mabo of electoral law, Vickie Roach fought a High Court case that overturned an attempt to remove the right of prisoners to vote. By fourteen, Vickie had started using heroin. Her history is punctuated by periods of incarceration and in 2004 she was convicted of five offences and sentenced to six years imprisonment. It was whilst she was in prison that Vickie launched a High Court challenge against the ban on prisoners voting at elections. Vickie will share her story.

Denis O’Reilly

Dennis O’Reilly is a social innovator, coach and businessman. He is a life member of Black Power – a New Zealand gang. He runs a national project called Mokai Whanau Ora that works with the leaders of Black Power and rival gang, the Mongrel Mob, to prohibit the manufacture, distribution and use of methamphetamine. Denis will share his story.

Jack Charles with Chris Hardy

Jack Charles was born in 1943 and is a child of the Stolen Generations. He spent many of his early years in boy’s homes in Melbourne and has been performing in theatre and film for over forty years. Of his early years, Jack says he was happy to assimilate “The only trouble was I wasn’t ever gong to fit in. I’m fucking brown mate.”

He has lived on the streets of Melbourne, supplementing his income with burglary (or 'collecting the rent' as he calls it) using heroin and methadone, and spending time in jail.

Jack Charles is a survivor and appears in the recent documentary – Bastardy.

He will be interviewed by Chris Hardy, Manager of Drug Safety Services at North Yarra Community Health.

Prior to her involvement in the harm reduction sector, Chris was involved in film production in her spare time. The first feature length film Chris worked on – Street Kids – won the AFI Best Sponsored Documentary in 1983. Chris has also been involved with production for the Hunters and Collectors, Do Ra Me, and the Painters and Dockers.

Topics Covered include:

Drug Use, Homelessness and Mental Health
Indigenous Issues
Prisons and Transitions
Empowering Behaviour Change
Pharmaceuticals
New Frontiers in Service Delivery
Blood-borne Virus Risks, Vaccinations and Vulnerabilities

Download program summary (screen)

Download program summary (print version)

Download Draft Full Program (as of 22 Sept 2009)