RACGP links Melbourne event to opioid treatment access
Melbourne is hosting the 2026 General Practice in Addiction, or GPADD, Conference on 28 and 29 August, with addiction care in general practice at the centre of the two-day event.
The Royal Australian College of GPs is bringing together clinicians, researchers and community leaders to strengthen Australia’s response to alcohol and other drug issues in primary care.
Across the conference, the program highlights the role of GPs as the first point of contact for people experiencing substance use challenges. It also focuses on medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence, known as MATOD, through general practice.
Meanwhile, the RACGP is urging whichever party forms government in November to support broader access to MATOD in Victoria. The college wants scaled financial incentives for GPs who prescribe MATOD and a mentorship program to encourage more doctors across the state to provide the treatment.
Access in Victoria is patchy, especially in regional areas, according to the RACGP. The college did not set out a proposed dollar amount for those incentives.
365 Victorians died in 2024
RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz tied that push to recent overdose data from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
In 2024, 365 Victorians died from drug overdoses. Opioids were the leading class involved in more than half of those deaths.
Victoria recorded 8.3 drug-induced deaths per 100,000 people. That compared with 5.6 in the ACT, 5.8 in New South Wales and 7.2 in Queensland.
Dr Muñoz said overdose deaths had reached a 20-year high and Victoria had recorded significantly more deaths than any other state.
“General practitioners are often the first health professionals people turn to for help. We build long-term relationships with patients and identify risk early, provide non-judgemental care, and connect people with evidence-based treatment,” Dr Muñoz said.
She also described every overdose death as a tragedy and a missed opportunity for early intervention, treatment and support.
MATOD reduces overdose deaths, hospitalisations and crime, and improves quality of life for people living with opioid dependency, according to the RACGP. Treatments named by the college include buprenorphine and methadone.
As a result, the conference is giving general practice addiction care a higher profile across 28 and 29 August. The RACGP did not disclose attendance numbers for the Melbourne event.
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