Calls for action after spike in GHB-related ambulance call-outs among young Australians
In conjunction with Turning Point, a report from Monash University revealed a startling spike in GHB-related ambulance call-outs among Australians aged between 25 and 34 in the past three years.
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, better known as GHB, is a party drug that was originally intended as an anaesthetic, targeting the central nervous system and causing feelings of distress, confusion, vomiting and blackouts.
Frequently presented as a tasteless and odourless liquid, it's commonly used in drink spiking and, due to its high dosage and undetectable nature, can be fatal.
Turning Point National Addiction and Mental Health Surveillance Unit strategic lead and Monash University researcher Rowan Ogeil said it would only take a small amount of the drug to lead to an overdose.
'The difference between the amount to reach the desired effect and an overdose can be very small,' he said.
'Our research team has previously shown that this leads to high rates of overdose or loss of consciousness in GHB users.'
According to the study, there has been a 67 per cent increase in GHB-related ambulance call-outs in Victoria between 2022 and 2023.
While areas in Melbourne such as the Stonnington and Yarra regions – which are home to Chapel St and its stretch of nightclubs – have some of the highest rates of GHB-related ambulance call-outs, Geelong now accounts for 31 per cent of all GHB-related ambulance attendances.
The study found the number of GHB-related ambulance call-outs had increased tenfold in the span of five years across Geelong, expanding from 20 incidents in 2018 to 200 in 2023.
GHB-related ambulance call-outs also spiked in Tasmania, with the Apple Isle reporting a 346 per cent increase between 2022 and 2023.
Dr Ogeil added that young people were largely the subjects of the call-outs.
'Our research has found that it is young people who are most affected,' he told NewsWire.
'In our study, people under 30 were more likely to require emergency help from paramedics following GHB use.'
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to ravage the country, an increasing number of young Australians are finding cheaper ways to enjoy themselves on a night out.
According to Drinkwise, 65 per cent of Gen Z want to drink less alcohol, with almost 23 per cent choosing to stay away from the bottle altogether.
However, young Australians are also more likely to partake in casual party drugs than other generations, according to the Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation.
Uncover Mental Health Counselling founder and psychotherapist Kristie Tse said there were many reasons young people were turning away from alcohol and towards party drugs, including anxiety triggered by rising costs.
'One of the biggest drivers is the desire to escape or cope with stress, which has been exacerbated by rising financial pressures and uncertainty about the future,' she said.
'The cost of living plays into this, as financial strain can lead to heightened anxiety and a need for relief, which some may seek through substance use.'
Penny-pinching partygoers may be turning away from alcohol and heading to cheaper – and in many cases, more dangerous – methods for a night out on the town.
'However, the risks are significant, and what often starts as a way to momentarily escape or enhance an experience can spiral into dependency or harm,' Ms Tse warned.
One Touch finance founder Maria Rosey said the cost-of-living crisis may be driving young people toward alternative ways of seeking a 'buzz'.
'As money stress becomes more common, so does the acceptance of substances as coping mechanisms,' she said.
'This normalisation happens through social media, peer groups, and cultural messaging that frames substance use as a reasonable response to unreasonable circumstances.
'The increase in GHB use during the money crisis shows us that substance use problems can't be solved by focusing only on the substances themselves.
'We need to address the conditions that make people turn to substances in the first place.'
Better knowledge of drug safety can also be found prominently on social media, which Ms Rosey said may sway younger generations towards swapping out drinks for party drugs, including GHB.
'This generation has grown up with easy access to information about substances through the internet,' she told NewsWire.
'They know way more about dosages, drug interactions, and staying safe than older generations did. This knowledge makes them feel safer and more in control, but that feeling might be false.'
Despite young people having better information at their disposal, Dr Ogeil said the increase in GHB-related ambulance calls signified a lack of harm-reduction services.
'These patterns show us where and when people need support most,' he said.
'Rather than waiting for emergency situations, we need accessible harm-reduction services that can engage with people before harms escalate.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


SBS Australia
7 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
'They have nowhere to go': The Australians at the centre of a housing 'emergency'
This article contains references to domestic and family violence. Women and girls are at the centre of a homelessness crisis which has reached "emergency proportions" across Australia, the country's peak body has warned. The number of women and girls seeking homelessness services each month increased by 14 per cent between May 2022 — when the Albanese government was first elected — and March this year, according to analysis by Homelessness Australia. The number of women and girls seeking assistance who were already homeless increased by 20 per cent — from 24,517 in May 2022 to 29,449 in March this year. "What that reveals is more women and girls are not getting the support they need to avoid homelessness," Kate Colvin, CEO of Homelessness Australia, told SBS News. "They're not getting early intervention, and they're coming to homeless services already having exhausted perhaps their friends, their family networks. "They have nowhere to go. And then, the reality is homeless services don't have the resources they need to provide safe accommodation for women and girls in that situation." The number of women and girls seeking support who were at risk of homelessness was also up 8 per cent. Overall, it said around 45 per cent of these women and girls have experienced domestic and family violence, referencing AIHW data. 'Emergency proportions' Colvin said homelessness across the country has reached "emergency proportions". "We have hundreds of people every day pushed out of the housing market into homelessness, and then not able to get back into housing," she said. "The situation just keeps getting worse and worse." The peak body attributes women and families being pushed further into crisis to rising rents, domestic violence and a lack of early intervention. Meanwhile, overwhelmed services are being forced to make difficult decisions around who to help and who to turn away. Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Cities Clare O'Neil said Australia is "confronting a housing crisis which has been building for 40 years". "It's affecting the lives of millions of Australians, and the most urgent and disturbing part of it is the rising homelessness all of us can see in our own communities," she said. Our staff are 'forced to triage' Frances Crimmins is the CEO of YWCA Canberra, a specialist women and children's homeless service provider. "Normally, what we find is that if they haven't already presented with domestic and family violence as the cause of their homelessness [we later learn after building trust] it has often formed part of the reason they have become homeless," Crimmins said. YWCA Canberra leases 60 properties from the ACT government, and has 19 of its own — some of which have been provided by the federal government specifically for women and children escaping domestic and family violence. They are all full. "The current level of demand just keeps on increasing, and so our staff are forced to triage," Crimmins said. Triaging refers to making decisions about which clients to prioritise in offering support. Supporting women and children escaping violence may include safety planning and preparing a vacant property. If there is no accommodation, it may involve safety planning to return to living with a perpetrator until housing becomes available. For some victim-survivors, a lack of housing options may lead them to stay in, or return to, a violent relationship. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele Family and domestic violence is the main reason women and children leave their homes, according to the AIHW. Many of them experience housing insecurity, and in some cases, homelessness. For some victim-survivors, a lack of housing options may lead them to stay in, or return to, a violent relationship. "That's a really sad fact … it can often be known that [a woman] might know the perpetrator's behaviour, and that can often be less risky than the unknown, which is sleeping rough or in a car with your children," Crimmins said. When it comes to transitioning clients out into the community, Crimmins said a lack of social and affordable housing has left them "stuck". "It's nearly impossible for us, currently, to transition women with three or more children," she said. "We are stuck. We know we have other women we need to accommodate, but we can't exit those women and children back into homelessness. That's what the staff are managing every day." Crimmins called for a "big uptick" in social housing to provide more exit pathways. "We need it urgently," she said. Calls for more social housing, a national plan O'Neil said the government has a particular focus on crisis housing. "We're making a record investment of over $1.2 billion in crisis housing and last term, we delivered a 45 per cent boost to rent assistance which helped a million Australians struggling to pay their rent," she said. She said the most important action for the Commonwealth is building more social and affordable homes. "We're delivering 55,000 new desperately needed social and affordable homes — 28,000 are under construction or planning right now. Every one of these homes will change the life of an Australian family." Colvin said the government's commitments are "certainly very welcome" after over a decade of underinvestment in social and affording housing. "The thing is they're not sufficient to catch up to where we need to be," she said. The latest annual report from the government's National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, released in May, said a "significant uplift" was needed to support Australians who depend on social and affordable housing. In 2021, this proportion of households was around 4 per cent. The report recommended governments and the private and not-for-profit sectors commit to restore the proportion of the housing stock over the medium term to 6 per cent. A long-term target should be as high as 10 per cent, it said. Homelessness Australia is also calling for an increase in social housing to 10 per cent of all dwellings — one of three "critical actions" included in its plan to address rising homelessness that was launched on Tuesday. The peak body is also calling for a national housing and homelessness plan to set reduction targets and guide major reforms, along with new investment in services in partnership with states and territories. The government is developing a housing and homelessness plan as part of its housing strategy, with consultation taking place in its first term. It's understood this work remains a priority. If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit In an emergency, call 000.

ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Laws that strip childcare funding from centres breaching standards to be introduced
Childcare centres repeatedly failing to meet safety standards could have their funding withdrawn under new legislation being put forward by the federal government today. But questions remain about what it would take for a centre to lose their funding. Under the government's proposal to be introduced to the House of Representatives, funding delivered via the Childcare Subsidy (CCS) could be cut off if centres repeatedly fall short on safety. In March, the federal government said it would move to stop providers who "persistently fail to meet minimum standards" from getting CCS. Education Minister Jason Clare has said he does not want to see funding removed from centres, and instead the legislation will act as an encouragement for centres to improve standards. Alongside child safety issues, the sector is also facing significant problems when it comes to availability and accessibility according to two recent reviews by the consumer watchdog and productivity commission. Approval for CCS can already be cut off if the secretary of the Department of Education believes there is an imminent risk to child safety and wellbeing, but the ABC understands under the new rules this would need to be a top consideration when deciding whether a provider should get CCS at all. Currently, the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) gives centres quality ratings ranging from "Exceeding National Quality Standards (NQS)" through to "Working Towards NQS" but does not have a "fail" rating. State and territory regulators can also move to shut down centres where child safety is a concern. The government will need the support of either the opposition, the Greens or nine minor party and independent senators to get their legislation through the upper house of parliament. The Coalition has indicated it wants to see the laws passed, but wants to ensure whatever is legislated will actually improve child safety. The Greens say the changes are a good start, but are urging the federal government to go further, with the party's early childhood education and care spokesperson Steph Hodgkins-May calling for a national watchdog. "At the moment we've got this patchwork regulation across states and there's no national body that can actually enforce the national quality standards that have been set," she said. While the Greens will support the government's legislation, Ms Hodgkins-May is frustrated that while the opposition has been given the legislation to look at, the Greens have not. "We are so ready and willing to really look to some of these structural issues that'll not only trigger a response once the poor quality and these hideous cases occur but will pre-emptively work to fix the system that's allowing it to occur in the first place," she said. A spokesperson for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the Coalition was "working constructively with the government on this in the interests of keeping our children safe". State, territory and federal ministers will meet next month to look at expanding CCTV in childcare centres, a national worker registry and mandatory training for staff on how to detect and prevent child abuse. This follows governments agreeing to a new set of National Quality Standards, which from September includes requiring centres to notify authorities of allegations or incidents of sexual abuse within 24 hours rather than the current seven days. In 2024, a voluntary code was introduced to ban phones and other devices, with state governments now looking at how to implement a compulsory ban. Minister for Early Childhood Education Jess Walsh said the legislation would cut funding to providers who put profit over safety. "Every child deserves to be safe in early learning, every parent deserves to know their children are safe," she said in a statement. "We'll also hold an urgent education ministers meeting next month to take strong, united action with the states and territories, including on a nationwide educator register."

ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Neurosurgeon Greg Malham terminated from Warringal Private Hospital after Four Corners investigation
Controversial neurosurgeon Greg Malham has been terminated from working at a Melbourne private hospital following a Four Corners investigation into his behaviour in the workplace. Ramsay Health Care chief executive officer Maree Mendola wrote to staff working in Australia's largest private hospital operator on Tuesday to inform them of the decision to terminate Mr Malham's temporary credentialing at Warringal Private Hospital following the story. "The allegations raised in the media are serious and do not align with Ramsay's values," Ms Mendola wrote. "I want to reaffirm Ramsay's commitment to maintaining a respectful, inclusive and safe workplace for all our people, patients and practitioners. Before the Four Corners story was published, Ramsay Health Care said in a statement that Mr Malham held temporary credentialing and that his application for full credentialing was progressing. But Mr Malham will no longer have that option. Warringal is the second hospital to part company with Mr Malham in recent months. He resigned from Melbourne's Epworth Private Hospital after it set up an external investigation following a video published in April of him during the federal election campaign. The footage, leaked to The Age newspaper, showed Mr Malham tearing down independent MP Monique Ryan's election corflute and talking about burying the body under concrete. This prompted Four Corners to investigate his background, and it found multiple stories of sexist and unprofessional behaviour: uncomfortable nurses, crying radiographers, patients who thought he was egotistical and lacked care and compassion, and a devastated, grieving family of a young nurse who left a suicide note blaming Mr Malham for her decision to end her life. Greg Malham's former patients, Annie Sargood and Frédérick Le Guen, welcomed the news of his termination by Ramsay Health Care. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons also wrote to its members following the Four Corners program, saying that it took the matters raised in the story "extremely seriously". "As a college, we want to be clear: behaviour that undermines patient safety or fosters discrimination or harassment has no place in surgery," president Owen Ung wrote. "While the vast majority of surgeons are dedicated professionals who make a substantial contribution to patients and their communities, we recognise that unacceptable behaviour by a minority can have serious consequences for individuals and for trust in the profession."