Peptide hospitalisations in New South Wales have risen sharply, from five in July 2025 to more than 200 in September 2026. Many people buying peptides online do not see themselves as injecting drug users and often lack safety guidance. Needle and syringe programs report surging demand, and some regional vending machines have emptied within hours. Safety basics include never reusing or sharing needles or vials, treating vial contents as unknown, using sharps containers, and visiting a needle and syringe program for free, confidential support.
A Canberra coroner has recommended the ACT government consider banning nitrous oxide sales to people under 18. The recommendation follows a 2023 crash in which an 18-year-old P-plater, influenced by the gas, veered off the road into Isabella Pond and drowned. Health Minister Marisa Paterson said the government agreed to two of the three recommendations and that regulatory changes could be brought in within 12 months. The changes would closely mirror new NSW rules starting on 5 November.
Comedian Shaun Micallef will attend a free community screening of his documentary Going for Broke at the Sun Theatre in Yarraville on Thursday 29 October. The evening includes selected clips, a panel discussion and a question and answer session. Hosted by Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay councils and IPC Health, the event runs from 6pm to 8pm and explores gambling harm through lived experience, research and community voices. A qualified counsellor will be on site, and bookings are essential.
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Uniting's Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross marks 25 years with a free art exhibition at Paddington Town Hall from 16 to 19 October. The show features 133 artworks by 63 clients, who are among Sydney's most marginalised people. Organisers say it aims to bridge the gap between the wider community and people with stories to tell. Artworks will be sold through an online silent auction until 28 October, with proceeds going directly to the artists. The centre has supervised over 1.36 million injections since 2001 and recorded no overdose deaths among the 12,338 overdoses it has managed.
The Victorian government is opening Flinders Street Health in Melbourne's CBD on Monday, October 19. Operated by cohealth, the hub will bring primary health care, mental health support, alcohol and drug treatment and counselling under one roof. Social help with housing, employment, family violence and legal advice will also be offered, along with meals and showers. The $36.4 million facility is part of a $95 million statewide plan to reduce drug harm. Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said everyone deserves access to healthcare and support, whatever their circumstances.
A 24-7 naloxone dispensing machine has been installed at cohealth in Footscray, one of three new machines across Victoria. The machines give out free nasal spray naloxone, which temporarily reverses opioid overdoses and can be used by anyone following the packaging instructions. The new machines are part of a $95.1 million statewide plan, with 17 dispensers now operating across the state. Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said free naloxone available around the clock lets anyone act during an overdose until emergency help arrives. Hospital emergency departments and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations can now also distribute free naloxone.
A vending machine outside Wonthaggi Hospital's emergency department now offers free naloxone, a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses. The machine is one of 20 being trialled across Victoria, with access available day or night without a prescription. Boxes of Nyxoid nasal spray are stocked, though the Department of Health has not confirmed when the machine will be switched on. The trial runs until June 2027 as part of a $95.11 million state plan. Signage advises people to call 000 during an overdose.
Greater Geelong recorded the highest number of fatal drug overdoses of any local government area in Victoria in 2025, with 45 deaths, overtaking Melbourne for the first time on record. Statewide, 632 Victorians died from overdoses, the highest figure in the past decade. Victorian Coroner Simon McGregor has called for a safe injecting room in Geelong. Scott Drummond of the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association said harm reduction services need more funding, warning that deaths will keep rising without it. Illegal drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine and GHB, contributed to 66.9 per cent of overdose deaths.
A new health hub for people facing homelessness and drug addiction will open next week opposite Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. Run by Cohealth, the state-funded centre offers GP care, addiction specialists, counselling, and showers and meals. Next year it will also host a trial of hydromorphone, an opioid addiction treatment not yet used widely in Australia. Some traders and councillors have raised concerns about anti-social behaviour, but Health Minister Ingrid Stitt says the services will improve the area. Victorian overdose deaths reached 632 in 2025, and advocates have called for further action.
Victoria recorded 632 drug overdose deaths in 2025, more than double the 291 road fatalities. The state's coroner found illicit drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine and GHB, contributed to 66.9 per cent of overdose deaths. Greater Geelong had the highest number of fatal overdoses, with 45 deaths, surpassing Melbourne for the first time. The coroner called for increased harm reduction services, including a safe injecting room, after a 33-year-old woman died from a drug overdose in St Albans Park.
