Experts from Australia's national drug and alcohol research centres contribute to public discourse on topics of interest through media reporting and commentary.
Research Centres in the Media
September 2026
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MJA Insight+: Contaminated alcohol available for sale in licensed bottle shops
Australian bottle shops have been found to be selling illicit alcohol, which evades taxation and carries the risk of potential contamination due to reduced quality controls.
Dr Michala Kowalski from NDARC and Dr Nicholas Taylor from NDRI wrote about their study on the availability of illicit alcohol in Australia for the Medical Journal of Australia's InSight+.
Read the full article here: Contaminated alcohol available for sale in licensed bottle shops
The Conversation: Kids are being detained in police custody
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Justice Health Dr Shelley Walker shone a light on children being held in police custody, settings that were never designed for children and that generally don’t have the staff or services needed to keep children safe and respond to their developmental, health and wellbeing needs.
Read the full article here: Kids are being detained in police custody, in facilities never designed for them
ABC RN Health Report: Drug-induced deaths and hospitalisations
Norman Swan and Dr Preeya Alexander discussed NDARC's latest reports on drug-induced deaths and hospitalisations, including the rise in harms from amphetamine-type stimulants on the ABC RN Health Report.
Listen to the full conversation here: Stimulant use driving hospitalisations and overdose deaths
