New reports aimed at better understanding Victorian fatal overdoses

Friday 10 February 2023

Today, the Coroners Court of Victoria has released two new reports to improve public understanding of fatal overdoses in Victoria.

Fatal overdose among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Victoria 2018–2021

The report – Fatal overdose among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Victoria 2018–2021 – is the first data release on overdoses of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria by the Coroners Court.

It presents an analysis of 76 passings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people identified as overdoses in Victoria from 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2021, including demographic data and information on the frequency and types of contributing drugs.

In Victoria, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience fatal overdoses at a rate more than three times higher than non-Indigenous people – with the average annual rate of fatal overdose among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria being 24.1 fatal overdoses per 100,000 population per year, compared to a rate of 7.8 fatal overdoses per 100,000 population per year among non-Indigenous people.

Today’s report has been developed to provide accessible, accurate and culturally responsive information to assist people who are working to reduce drug-related harms.

Other key findings for period 2018–2021 presented in the report include:

the annual number of fatal overdoses of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria ranged from 13 to 23 per year.
Aboriginal men were more at risk of fatal overdose (64.5%) than Aboriginal women (35.5%). This is consistent with fatal overdoses among non-Indigenous Victorians for the same period, where just under two-thirds of deaths involved males.
amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males, the highest proportion of fatal overdoses occurred in those aged 35–44 (34.7%) and 45–54 (28.6%).
similarly, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, the highest proportion of fatal overdoses occurred in the age groups of 35–44 (29.6%) and 45–54 (29.6%).
most fatal overdoses among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people occurred in Metropolitan Melbourne. However, the proportion of passings in regional Victoria was substantially higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (49%) than non-Indigenous people (23.8%).
most fatal overdoses among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were unintentional.
the proportion of fatal overdoses involving pharmaceutical drugs was consistent between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (75%) and non-Indigenous people (77.2%).
the proportion of fatal overdoses involving illegal drugs was higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (68.4%) than non-Indigenous people (50.3%) – with heroin (52.6%) and methamphetamine (39.5%) being particularly prevalent in the fatal overdoses among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
alcohol contributed to a higher proportion of fatal overdoses among non-Indigenous people (29.5%) compared to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (15.8%).

The report was developed by the Coroners Aboriginal Engagement Unit (CAEU) and Coroners Prevention Unit (CPU). Since the Koori-led CAEU was established in 2019, the Court has substantially improved the accuracy of information it holds for current and historic reportable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander passings – specifically with regard to passings from 1 January 2018 onwards.

Victorian overdose deaths - Quarterly update to June 2022

The second report released today – Victorian overdose deaths – Quarterly update to June 2022 – presents a snapshot of Victorian overdose data for the eight quarters from July 2020 to June 2022. The report contains demographic data including location, sex and age, along with a breakdown of contributing substances.

The update shows that there have been 1031 overdose deaths in Victoria over the reporting period. While there is variation in frequencies between quarters, the report shows that average number of overdoses for the most recent eight quarters are consistent with what has been observed since 2016.

Other key findings for the period July 2020 to June 2022 presented in the report include:

males accounted for two-thirds of overdose deaths across the period (67.9%).
for both males and females, the age groups with the highest numbers of deaths were 35-44 years (24.6%) and 45-54 years (27.8%).
Nearly 80% of fatal overdoses occurred in Metropolitan Melbourne.
on average, most overdoses involved multiple contributing drugs (75%) compared to single drugs related deaths (25%)
overall, pharmaceutical drugs were the most frequent contributors to Victorian overdose deaths – contributing to three-quarters of all deaths, compared to illegal drugs which contributed in just over half of overdose deaths, and alcohol which contributed to approximately a third of all deaths.
20% of overdose deaths for the period are classified as suicides, 75% were determined to be unintentional overdoses and for 5% the intent could not be ascertained.
the five most prevalent contributing drugs across the period were diazepam (41.4%), heroin (37%), alcohol (28.5%), methamphetamine (24.9%), and methadone (13.4%).
heroin contributed to more than 60 deaths in each of Q1 and Q2 2022 compared to an average of 42 deaths per quarter across the preceding six quarters. Analysis in the report shows that similar numbers of heroin-related overdose deaths have been seen in previous quarters. As such, the data should be interpreted with caution: it may represent natural fluctuation in time, or a temporary ‘spike’, rather than an emerging trend.

This report is intended to complement the Court’s annual overdose death report – Victorian overdose deaths, 2012-2021 – by making overdose data updates available on a more regular and timely basis to assist organisations working in the alcohol and other drugs sector.

In Victoria, all deaths from suspected non-natural causes, including suspected overdoses must be reported to the Coroners Court of Victoria. Suspected overdoses are recorded by the Court in the Victorian Overdose Deaths Register, which is the data source for this report.

Quotes attributable to Victorian State Coroner, Judge John Cain

“Drug related harms are complex and constantly changing – such issues cannot be countered without up-to-date information about drug prevalence and use in the community.”

“Fatal overdoses are only one measure of drug related harm. Non-fatal overdoses, injuries and fatalities from drug-related high-risk behaviour and chronic disease arising from long-term drug use are all part of the broader discussion to improve public health in Victoria.”

“By regularly sharing updated overdose data, the Court contributes to government and community understanding of how drugs use is occurring, where resources may be needed and by whom.”

“Today’s release of the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander overdose data provides valuable insights. It also builds on the continued work of the Court’s Koori Engagement Unit in developing resources that support First Nation focused prevention programs by local communities, Aboriginal-led organisations and government.”

Quotes from Troy Williamson (Yuin), Manager, Coroners Aboriginal Engagement Unit

“Culturally safe approaches to prevention are absolutely vital in the fight against drug related harms for Aboriginal people in Victoria.”

“Today report is challenging but significant – it puts information into the hands Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and reinforces the importance of placing culturally safe practices at the heart of health and wellbeing resources for our communities.”

Access the reports:

A copy of the Fatal overdose among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Victoria 2018-2021 report can be found here: https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/fatal-overdose-among-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people-victoria-2018-2021

A copy of the Victorian overdose deaths - Quarterly update to June 2022 can be found here: https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/victorian-overdose-deaths-quarterly-update-june-2022

The Court’s annual overdose report – Victorian overdose deaths, 2012-2021 – was released in August 2022 and can be accessed here: https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/victorian-overdose-deaths-2012-2021

Media contact:
T: 0418 321 565
E: mediaenquiries@courts.vic.gov.au