By Aaron Cordy
FINDINGS released in the Penington Institute’s 2026 Annual Overdose Report Snapshot show that 2,596 Australians died from drug-induced causes in 2024. The highest number on record.
Locally, Primary Care Connect held its annual End Overdose community event on Thursday, August 27, at the South Shepparton Community Centre to mark International Overdose Awareness Day.
“Overdose is an issue that affects all communities, including our own. It affects individuals, families, friends and communities, and every life lost has an impact that reaches well beyond one person,” said PCC Executive Manager Community Services Broni Paine.
Wellways Senior Wellbeing Navigator Peer Joshua Maude at the Mental Health and Wellbeing Local shared his personal experience dealing with addiction.
“My recollection of living with addiction is that I persistently thought that with each major life event, I would stop, I would change. Something would happen that would stop me from doing what I was doing,” said Josh.
“I recall it like driving down a highway, seeing exits come up, and being like, ‘Oh, I lost my driver’s license. I thought I’d take that exit, and that my journey with my experience with substances and drinking would surely I’ll take that path and I’ll stop.’ And really distinctly, I remember being on that road and seeing in the rear-vision mirror that exit. I just drove straight past it, and I found myself back on the journey that I was on.”
Josh’s story fortunately comes with a happy ending. But many people aren’t so lucky. Of the 2,596 drug-induced deaths in 2024, 2,091 were unintentional, an increase of 15.1 per cent on the previous year. The figures equate to around seven Australians losing their lives to overdose every day.
“Behind every statistic is a person – somebody’s family member, friend, colleague or loved one. These aren’t simply numbers; they represent lives and communities changed forever,” said Ms Paine.
