Seven Australians die from overdose everyday – these deaths can be prevented

Seven Australians are dying from overdose every day, with new figures revealing the nation’s overdose crisis has reached its deadliest point on record.

On International Drug Overdose Awareness Day, Uniting NSW. ACT is calling for greater action from government to urgently implement the change we know will help keep people safe and alive.

New analysis from this year’s Penington Institute’s Australia’s Annual Overdose Report revealed 2,596 Australians died from drug-induced causes in 2024 – a 10.7% increase in just one year.

That’s one Australian life lost every three and a half hours, every day.

Four-in-five of these deaths were unintentional overdoses – they were not inevitable; they are preventable deaths and there are proven harm reduction measures that can save lives.

In 2024, NSW had 575 unintentional drug-induced deaths, almost 70% higher than the road toll (340 deaths) in the same year.

The report reveals the crisis is particularly acute outside our major cities. Regional and rural NSW recorded a significantly higher rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths – 8.4 deaths per 100,000 of people, compared to 5.8 in Greater Sydney.

The drug market is also becoming more complex and dangerous.  More than two-thirds of unintended drug-induced deaths involved two or more drug types with opioids, benzodiazepines and amphetamine-type stimulants among the drugs most commonly used.

The overdose crisis is also a justice crisis. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to die at a profoundly disproportionate rate. For every non-Indigenous person lost to an unintentional overdose, four First Nations people lose their lives.

Alex Hogan, Uniting NSW.ACT Social Justice Lead said: “With deaths from overdose now three times the NSW road toll we cannot accept doing more of the same. The NSW Government must urgently move beyond piecemeal responses and deliver evidence-based reforms that will save lives. It’s time for political leadership. Each day we delay – more lives will be lost. We stand ready to work with the NSW Government to ensure people can access the care they need to reduce harm and stay alive.

“Too many people are dying because stigma, hard to access support, and a lack of real government commitment to drug law reform stands in the way of effective healthcare and treatment. Drug dependence is a health issue, not a moral failing or criminal offence.”

“In NSW, demand for alcohol and other drug treatment substantially exceeds the sector’s capacity, with only around 36% of estimated treatment demand being met.

“The challenge is no longer whether the evidence exists—it’s whether the NSW Government has the courage to act on it.”

For 25 years Uniting’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in Kings Cross has shown what works: more than 12,000 overdoses managed without a single death, while connecting people to healthcare, treatment and other vital supports.

Yet despite this extraordinary record, a single provision in NSW law continues to stop other communities benefiting from this proven life-saving approach. Section 36A of the NSW Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act, restricts supervised injecting facilities to one location and, so far, the NSW Government has refused to change it.

“The cause for change is undeniable. The status quo is profoundly unfair and the number of preventable deaths amplifies the crisis and urgent need for expanding harm reduction services.

“We’re calling on the NSW Government to show political will and finally enact the recommendations from the 2024 Drug Summit because we’re two years on and nothing has changed. Meanwhile seven Australians are dying from overdose every day,” said Alex Hogan.

The NSW Government can change this by:  

  • Fully implementing the recommendations from the NSW Drug Summit.
  • Developing and implementing a whole-of-government Drug and Alcohol Strategy that brings together health, housing, justice, education and community services.
  • Increasing funding for the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) sector to meet growing need.
  • Strengthening the Early Drug Diversion Initiative so more people are diverted into treatment and support rather than the criminal justice system.
  • Amending Section 36A of the NSW Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act.
  • Treating drug use as a health issue and investing in evidence-based treatment and harm reduction.
  • Police carrying life-saving overdose reversal medication, naloxone.

“The theme for International Overdose Awareness Day 2026 is ‘25 years on. Still needed.’ This means recommitting ourselves to continue our work and preventing future deaths.

“We know what works. The evidence is clear. Overdose deaths continue to climb while access to life-saving interventions remains patchy and inadequate. That’s a policy choice and people, families and communities in NSW deserve better,” said Alex Hogan.

Uniting NSW.ACT runs the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre and has spearheaded the Fair Treatment Campaign for fairer drug laws for over seven years.