Action on Alcohol Flagship Group (AAFG)

About

The Eastern Metropolitan Region Action on Alcohol Flagship Group (AAFG) is a stakeholder partnership committed to taking action through advocacy and working collectively in primary prevention, to reduce the harmful impacts of alcohol in local communities.

Role

The role of the Flagship is to align their efforts by developing a common and consistent agenda, supported by a Strategic Plan and subsequent annual Operational Plans. The AAFG is unique in Victoria with local level cross-sector representation spanning the health, community and local-government space, addressing the prevention of alcohol-related harm.

Impact

The duration of the AAFG operation and its growth in membership over recent years demonstrates its value to the sector. It is vital that councils and community health organisations promote and encourage help seeking for those who think that their drinking is becoming more problematic or if they are concerned about someone they care about.

Councils and community health organisations can run their own campaigns to promote low risk drinking and normalise no drinking (even during lock downs), or share and promote current campaigns produced by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation. The AAFG encourage and promote community conversations about alcohol, including forums and webinars where experts (such as the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Evaluation- FARE) and people with lived experiences can share the impacts of alcohol on their lives.

The flexibility of the AAFG and its members has been most evident in the past two years, as demonstrated by the ability of the Flagship Local Drug Action Team to shift the ‘Our Club’ project messages about alcohol harm to messages promoting good mental health and supporting each other.

Principles for Action

• Data, Evidence & Evaluation: Develop a greater understanding of local and regional data, indicators & evaluation; continuing to build strategic partnerships with academics and policy makers to understand how research and data have been used in practice. Broaden our collection, dissemination and effective use of primary and secondary research to achieve our strategic directions.

• Policy and legislation: Advocate and influence policy, compliance and legislation which incorporates a primary prevention understanding to reduce alcohol related harms in the community.

• Partnerships: Develop and maintain strategic partnerships to broaden the expertise of the Flagship and strengthen our collective voice when advocating within the region and to State Government.

• Education and Interventions: Keep up to date with, and continually disseminate, contemporary best practice interventions, research and education, to improve knowledge and practice to support a reduction in alcohol related harms.

• Advocacy: Providing a platform to continually advocate for primary prevention to reduce alcohol related harms in our local communities. Keeping this issue on the agenda of partner agencies and other relevant stakeholders.

Contact: samantha.spooner@knox.vic.gov.au