April Long: Addiction isn't just a social issue, it's a drag on the economy

West Australian

26-05-2025

Australians have returned Labor to office and delivered a clear mandate to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
But amid promises of energy rebates, housing relief, and grocery price interventions, one major issue was conspicuously absent from the campaign trail: addiction and recovery support, despite its deep connection to economic and social wellbeing.
Addiction affects millions of Australians every year. And not just individuals — families, communities, and workplaces. It has a profound economic and social toll but remains largely invisible in political discourse.
As cost-of-living pressures intensify, so do the drivers of addiction: stress, disconnection, housing instability, and trauma. Treating addiction as a moral failing or personal weakness won't reduce these harms but investing in recovery will.
With a renewed term, the Albanese Government has a critical opportunity to recognise addiction as a complex public health issue with far reaching consequences. That includes continued investment in modern, evidence-based recovery options that reflect the real lives and needs of Australians.
Harmful alcohol use alone costs the Australian economy more than $14.4 billion annually, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. That figure doesn't account for gambling harm, illicit drug use, or the intergenerational effects of addiction on families and communities.
I know those effects firsthand. I grew up with a parent experiencing addiction. The financial strain, the emotional volatility, and the constant unpredictability left a mark — not just on our family life, but on my sense of safety, identity, and future. Like many children in similar households, I learned early how invisible addiction can be.
The re-elected Labor Government has already demonstrated a strong commitment to health equity, cost-of-living relief, and mental wellbeing and importantly, has recognised the value of evidence-based recovery.
We encourage the government to fund a broader range of evidence-based recovery options, within mainstream health funding; support workforce development by training peer facilitators and clinicians in contemporary recovery models; integrate recovery services across systems including primary care, justice, housing, and employment; and invest in digital infrastructure and innovation, so that every Australian, no matter their postcode, can access timely, effective support.
Recovery is about more than stopping harm. It's about rebuilding lives, restoring connections, and offering people hope, dignity, and choice.
When we fail to invest in recovery, it's not just services that suffer, it's all Australians. People who are working, voting, and trying to survive. People like the ones I grew up with and the ones walking through our doors daily.
This is public health reform, not moral rescue. It's about giving people real tools and real choices. It's time to give Australians more than one pathway to recovery.
April Long is the chief executive of SMART Recovery Australia