" The number of needles and syringes distributed in Australia increased during the past decade (from ~27 million to ~31 million).
" Expenditure on NSPs increased by 36% (adjusted for inflation) over this time period, mostly associated with personnel and not principally for equipment (Table a); a significant portion of the increased investment has been the Illicit Diversion Supporting Measures for NSPs to increase referrals to drug treatment and other services.
"Over the last decade there has been
" Increases in funding for primary sites.
" Increases in the number of secondary sites.
" Increases (by 15%) in the numbers of units of equipment provided.
" Stable spending on sterile injection equipment.
" At the time of writing there were 85 primary sites, 737 secondary sites, 20 enhanced secondary sites, and 118 vending machines."
National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (2009). Return on investment 2: Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of needle and syringe programs in Australia 2009. The University of New South Wales, Sydney, p. 8.
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