The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) provides mission critical intelligence to combat the threats Australia faces from transnational serious and organised crime (TSOC). Much of the harm Australian’s suffer at the hands of serious and organised crime is due to illicit drugs and this increases in line with consumption.
Since 2016, the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program has provided leading-edge, coordinated national research and intelligence on illicit drugs and licit drugs that can be abused – with a specific focus on methylamphetamine and other high-risk substances. This is a more accurate guide to the consumption of illicit drugs than self-report surveys as it measures consumption rather than drawing on perceptions of people who respond to surveys. For instance:
- they rely on those who complete the survey to be truthful in their answers
- drug using populations are often under-represented in samples
- the results likely underestimate actual drug use in communities.
Our wastewater program’s sample size (greater than 50% of the Australian population) is far higher and more diverse than survey samples (less than one tenth of one per cent of the Australian population). It covers a broader demographic than survey populations, which are sometimes sentinel populations. The frequency of data publication is also an essential metric to monitor short term changes in drug markets, new or evolving threats, and assess the effectiveness of responses in a timely manner.
For example, the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) is released every 3 to 4 years and collects information from Australians aged 14 years or older. The survey is restricted to residential households and excludes institutional settings, hostels, motels and homeless people. In 2022–23, approximately 21,500 usable questionnaires were completed, however this does not include foreign language interviews. While regional data is collected, there is a bias in favour of major cities.
On the other hand, wastewater analysis is released 3 times per year following sampling every 2 months in capital cities and every 4 months in regional areas. The report monitors the consumption of 12 licit and illicit substances nationally, with analysis providing a breakdown between state and territories, as well as capital city and regional areas. The per capita estimates are calculated using the total estimated catchment population, including children.
Other population surveys in Australia such as the annual Illicit Drug Reporting System and the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System target much smaller sentinel populations of roughly 1,000 persons nationally and are generally confined to capital cities.
Conversely, wastewater analysis measures drug consumption in the whole catchment area – there are no hidden populations. However, the advantage of the self-reported surveys is that they can provide quality insight into the demographic profiles of drug users, as well as additional information in relation to drug use, such as method of administration and form of the drug used.
The triangulation of wastewater analysis with survey data and data from law enforcement, health, and policy agencies provides the most granular appreciation of drug markets, emphasising the need for a collaborative approach to combat illicit drug supply and demand in Australia.