Thursday, 10 September 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (21:58): (2806) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Health, and the action I seek is to work with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to urgently expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence by funding GP prescribing incentives, training and dedicated mentorship programs. It was great to chat with GPs from across Victoria recently at RACGP’s GPs at Parliament event. One important issue they raised was access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence, or MATOD.

Let us be clear: opioid dependence is a health issue. People experiencing dependence deserve evidence-based care, not stigma, judgement or criminalisation. Yet the evidence indicates we are failing to deliver this. In 2024 Victoria recorded 8.3 drug-induced deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 5.8 in New South Wales, 7.2 in Queensland and 5.6 in the ACT. Opioids were the leading contributor to drug-induced deaths. This is important, because it means that they were preventable. We have effective treatment. MATOD can help people reduce their dependence on illicit opioids, stabilise their lives and significantly reduce their risk of overdose and death. It also benefits the whole community, preventing hospitalisations and reducing crime, yet access remains deeply inequitable. On any given day in 2024 almost 15,000 Victorians were receiving MATOD, but this represents only 30 to 48 per cent of the people who would seek and benefit from alcohol and other drug treatment. Some communities, especially in rural and regional Victoria, have no local GP providing MATOD. We know that having to travel long distances or navigate significant hurdles reduces access to care.

The RACGP has a plan that would address these challenges and could be readily implemented if the government had the political will. Victoria has more than 10,000 practising GPs. Supporting even a small proportion of that workforce would provide additional MATOD, and that could significantly improve access. The RACGP’s plan is for prescribing incentives, training and ongoing mentorship. Mentoring supports GPs when they encounter complex or challenging cases by providing access to experienced clinicians, training builds knowledge and skills and proper funding ensures that this work can be done, given the time it needs, and is sustainable over the long term. This is exactly the sort of investment we should be making in our health system: evidence-based, community-centred and focused on prevention rather than waiting until people reach crisis point or, worse, letting our response be shaped by stigma and criminalisation. Thanks to the RACGP for their advocacy and for the critical work that they do every day.

The government has an opportunity to meaningfully address real barriers to treatment and save lives, and I urge the minister to listen to GPs and fund prescribing incentives, training and mentorship so that every Victorian who needs MATOD, regardless of income or postcode, can access it.