You Are Here : Home / Residents/ Staying safe and healthy / Your health and wellbeing / Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs

Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs

We work with many community organisations and businesses to prevent alcohol and drug misuse and its associated harms.

The Maribyrnong Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy(PDF, 144KB) outlines Council’s overall position and guiding principles in the management of harms caused by the misuse of alcohol and other drugs. Council’s framework for action focuses on advocacy, research, partnerships, information provision and leadership.

The policy is informed by extensive research and consultation. For more information, read the Discussion Paper(PDF, 2MB).

It is important that we work together to limit how much our children are exposed to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Do you need help?

If you want to quit smoking, Quit Victoria is a great place to start.

For drug and alcohol treatment and support services, Directline is a 24-hour phone service which can provide information on treatment services and is a good place to start, especially if you are unfamiliar with alcohol and other drug services. Contact Directline on 1800 888 236. Alternatively, contact one of the local alcohol and drug services(PDF, 28KB).

Talking with your child

For help in how to talk with your child about alcohol and other drugs, visit The Other Talk (developed by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation).

Community resources

Council has provided support to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, who have developed educational videos and a support guide for friends and family about drug use and alcohol in several community languages.

The video is available in Hakha Chin, Burmese, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Gujarati, Amharic and English, and the support guide is available in Somali(PDF, 317KB), Amharic(PDF, 317KB), and Arabic(PDF, 321KB) and English(PDF, 322KB).

These resources are designed to help spread the word about the benefits of reducing alcohol use for all Australians, to support people who have a family or friend with drug issues, and to ensure that everyone has access to accurate information regarding AOD.

We monitor tobacco laws

Smoking is not permitted in cars carrying persons under 18 years of age in Victoria.
Smoking is not permitted in any enclosed area of a workplace, including shopping centres, restaurants and licensed premises.
Everyone in a workplace must observe the smoking ban, including employers, employees, volunteers and customers.

In enforcing the Tobacco Act 1987(PDF, 351KB), we help local sporting clubs, businesses and workplaces implement smoke free areas.

We monitor licensed premises

We work with local businesses to ensure they comply with our policy and liquor licensing.

Holding an event

If you’re planning to serve alcohol at a community event, you will need to apply for a permit.

Report a needle/syringe

You can call the free Syringe Collection Hotline to arrange for the collection of needles and syringes in public areas such as laneways, parks and gutters.