Festival season is here. Drug checking is now a permanent part of the NSW festival scene, DanceWize NSW peers are roving, and Naloxone is reaching more hands than ever. Here’s what’s changed, and what it means for you. 

We caught up with Brodie Daniels, DanceWize NSW Coordinator and NUAA's new Drug Checking Lead, to hear what all of this looks like on the ground. 

NUAA's Peers and Consumers (PaC) Forum returned on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th of September 2026, bringing peers, workers, clinicians and allies together at the NSW Teacher’s Federation in Sydney.  

PaC 2026 brought open and courageous conversations about what it means to be a peer in a time of growth and evolution, all linking to this year’s theme, ‘Shaping Systems, Storytelling, and Power’.

NUAA is thrilled to announce it will continue to work alongside the NSW Government as part of the newly revealed permanent drug checking at festivals.

It started as a BBQ at a Melbourne needle exchange in 2001. Twenty-five years later, International Overdose Awareness Day is marked in 40+ countries and over 1000 events worldwide, because Australia is still losing seven people a day to overdose. This edition of User’s News looks at the day's history, how communities across NSW are marking the 31st of August this year, and the everyday actions that keep the message alive long after the purple lights go out.

People have chased strength, speed, and certain looks for close to three thousand years. Long before steroids, Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs), or peptides existed, athletes were eating animal organs, drinking mystery potions, and even consuming poison in the name of performance.

This edition of Users News outlines the long and sometimes bizarre history of Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs), and how that's influenced the landscape today. 

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, community members, peer workers, health professionals, and NUAA staff visited Lawrence Hargave Reserve in Sydney, to mark this year's International Drug Users Day of Remembrance (IDURD).  

Attendees heard from speakers including Phil Read of South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Erica Franklin of Harm Reduction Australia, Jo Catling of St Vincent's Health Australia, and NUAA’s own Tony McNaughton.

In this feature we remember IDURD’s history, the speeches from the day, and reflections from the NUAA staff who helped bring it all together.

If you're on Sublocade, you may have already heard the news, and if you haven't, it's important that you do. The pharmaceutical company Indivior has decided to stop supplying Sublocade in Australia.  

This change is going to affect people across Australia who rely on Sublocade to manage opioid dependence, including many of readers of User’s News. 

We know this news might be worrying, especially if Sublocade has been working for you. This article will explain what's happening, what your options are, and who you can talk to. 

The bold, tattoo-style illustrations behind Australia's Support Don't Punish campaign aren’t created by a design agency, they’re hand drawn by Emily Ebdon, a Tasmanian peer worker and artist with two decades of frontline harm reduction experience.

In this spotlight, Emily talks about feeling creatively constrained in faith-based organisations, finding her voice in the drug user movement, and the process of turning real submissions from people who use drugs across Australia into vibrant artworks.

Nermalee is a casual staff member with DanceWize NSW, and a passionate volunteer across four community organisations. In this Users News feature, she shares how she got started, why volunteering matters, and practical advice for anyone looking to get involved and give back.