Conference Policies

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If you have any questions, please contact apsadconference(at)ashm.org.au or call +61 2 8204 0770

Privacy Policy

Photo and video consent

APSAD will take photographs, videos and audio recordings of the conference for use in APSAD's news and promotional materials in print, digital, email and other media, including APSAD's website and social media platforms. Event participants grant APSAD the right to use any image, photograph and voice in this context without compensation. All media become the property of APSAD and may be displayed, distributed or used by APSAD.


All live presentations in the plenary / breakout 1 will be video recorded and made available on demand as part of the conference. Delegates submitting questions as part of the Q&A / discussion consent to their questions being made available online as part of the discussion.


Why we ask for your consent

We ask for your personal data to facilitate your registration for this event and / or abstract submission and / or scholarship application.


Why are we processing your personal data

We ask for your personal data to facilitate your registration for this event and / or abstract submission and / or scholarship application.


How long will we store your personal data

Your personal data will be retained by us for up to 5 years after the conclusion of this event.


The right to withdrawn your consent

You retain the right to withdraw consent of use of your personal data at any time. Please be aware that a withdrawal of consent before the start of this event will incur a full registration cancellation and cancellation fees as noted in the registration terms and conditions. Please contact us at apsadconference(at)ashm.org.au with any inquiries you may have. If you are submitting an abstract the withdrawal of consent will result in your abstract not being submitted for review or inclusion in the conference program.


The right to forget or anonymize your personal details

If you have attended any event with us, we will retain any financial, tax or event attendance records for reporting reasons, but will remove all personal data from our database, leaving an “anonymized” record for reporting reasons.


Other third parties that will have access to your personal data

If you are registering for the conference some of your data will be shared with other organisations and third parties in order to process your registration and / or abstract submission and / or scholarship application.


These will include:

  • Eway (ecommerce provider)
  • Should you elect to be on the delegate list, your name, organisation, state and country will be provided to sponsors of this event
  • Registration category will only be shared between relevant ASHM / APSAD conference staff working on the APSAD 2026 Conference.
  • If you are submitting an abstract for the conference your data will be shared with other organisations and third parties in order to process and review your abstract.
  • If you are submitting an scholarship for the conference your data will be shared with other organisations and third parties in order to process and review your application.


This will include:

  • APSAD 2026 Conference– conference organising committee
  • APSAD 2026 Conference– Abstract Reviewers (your first name, last name and organisation)
  • APSAD 2026 Conference– Scholarship Reviewers (your first name, last name and organisation)

Data controller contact

ASHM Health

Level 3, 160 Clarence Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Point of Contact: Conference Secretariat

 Phone: +61 2 8204 0770
 Email Address: conference(at)ashm.org.au


Nominated data protection officer 

Name and Title: Amy Sargent

Phone: +61 2 8204 0770
Email Address: conference(at)ashm.org.au


Environmental Policy

APSAD along with ASHM Conference & Events Division implements a waste-reduction policy that addresses Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Our aim is to research and prioritise purchasing items and equipment that support the use of recycled materials or can be recycled after use.


Conference Handbook/ Program:

APSAD no longer provides a conference handbook and instead provides reduced copies of the Conference Program. Our conference app already captures all of the content that is included in the traditional handbook and in addition provides delegates the functionality to connect with each other, participate in live polls and conduct session Q&A.


Lanyards:

We use PET lanyards, lanyards for all ASHM run conferences. PET offers a number of advantages. It takes less energy to manufacture than alternatives. It’s also extremely light, strong and durable, meaning less packaging is needed to protect our products. Lighter packaging means that less fuel is needed for transportation, which lowers carbon emissions. In fact, PET bottles have been getting lighter and lighter, weighing 40% less than they did in the year 2000.


Almost uniquely among plastics, PET is near-infinitely recyclable and because it can be made into new products, this lowers the need for fresh PET to be made, further reducing emissions. In fact, recycled PET products show a drop of up to 90% in CO2 emissions compared with virgin PET. Its high recyclability also makes it less likely to end up in landfill and around 58% of PET bottles are recycled in Europe today. This makes it the most recycled plastic packaging material.


PET can also be remade into automotive products, such as car interiors and seatbelts. And crucially PET packaging can be remade into PET packaging. Forming a closed loop PET manufacturing system, supported by high collection rates, that can supply itself to produce PET is crucial to ensuring a more sustainable future.


Name badges:

We provide recyclable name badges without a plastic pouch


Catering:

We monitor final delegate numbers for an accurate forecast of catering requirements in order to avoid waste.


Travel:

There are lots of options out there for delegates travelling interstate or internationally to attend our conferences who want to offset CO2. Most airline companies offer this as part of their booking process:


Jetstar: Fly Carbon Neutral Program

Qantas: Fly Carbon Neutral Program

Virgin Airlines: Carbon Offset Program


Other organisations that allow you to offset your CO2:

Atmosfair

Greenfleet


Committee Meetings and Site Visits:

We endeavour to minimise travel for planning the conferences through the use of teleconferences meetings or skype for business. This removes the need to organise face to-face meetings and to only hold meetings when necessary.

Disclaimer

The views expressed by sponsors, exhibitors, advertisers or attendees are not necessarily the views of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol & other Drugs (APSAD), and the Society does not accept responsibility for any information, research, recommendation or advice contained herein.


The views expressed by keynotes, oral presenters, e-poster presenters and speakers are not necessarily the views of APSAD, and the Society does not accept responsibility for any information, research, recommendation or advice contained herein.

Registration and Abstract Submission Disclaimer

Any delegate who, in the past five years, has conducted, commissioned, or disseminated research for an organisation producing, distributing, selling, or promoting; alcoholic beverages; tobacco products, including electronic nicotine delivery systems; and gambling products, including but is not limited to; lobbyists, either professionally or on a personal basis, any proxies or affiliates thereof, or any advocacy, trade, or Social Aspects Organisation for a producer/distributer/seller/promoter, is ineligible to attend or present at the APSAD 2026 Conference.

Paid registrations of such persons described above will not be refunded.


By checking the Conference Terms and Conditions box when submitting an abstract for presentation and/or registering for the conference you declare that none of the specifications described above apply to you.


Please make sure you read and understand the Cancellation Policy and full Terms & Conditions before registering for the conference.

COVID Policy

Based on the current reporting of COVID infections in Australia the organising committee would like to model best practice behaviour at the conference to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission.


The organising committee will continue to monitor risk and government advice in the lead up to the conference and may institute additional precautions if the risk changes.


Please make yourself familiar with our COVID Safety Policy and requirements.

COVID Safety Policy

Attendees are reminded not to attend if:

  • they are feeling unwell and displaying COVID-19 symptoms (and of loss or change in sense of smell or taste, fever, chills or sweats, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or runny nose),
  • are a household contact with a person with COVID-19 (with a positive test) within the last 7 day

If a refund is required in the case that delegates are unable to attend due to COVID-19 infection or being a close contact, the organiser will assist them on presentation of evidence.


For those attending the APSAD 2026 Conference, we strongly recommend but is not mandatory and do not enforce:

  • Mask wearing is strongly recommended during the three-day conference, (preferably N95 masks). Please bring your own mask, however there will be masks available at the conference registration.
  • A COVID rapid antigen test (RAT) should be undertaken before travelling to attend the conference (you should do a RAT prior to setting off to attend the conference – but there will be RATs available at the conference for people who cannot access a test).
  • Audio and slides of sessions available post conference: If you cannot attend or become unwell or if you feel uncomfortable about travelling and attending then we will make audio recordings and PowerPoints of presentations available post conference.


Note: The above advice is highly recommended, but is not mandatory for attendance.

Other measures that have been implemented to reduce the risk of COVID-19 include:

  • Contactless check in / registration available (use your barcode)
  • N95 masks available at registration
  • COVID rapid antigen tests available
  • Hand sanitisation places
  • Reminders around social distancing and effective venue spacing


All attendees at the Conference will be required to comply with the COVIDSafe guidelines and protocols in place at the conference venue, which will be aligned and compliant with all relevant Government health advice during this time.


At the Conference, participants will be reminded to social distance where possible and follow the instructions of ushers when entering the meeting rooms, or in public areas. Please also follow all hand hygiene requirements.


Being COVIDSafe is a shared responsibility, and we want you to enjoy and make the most of the APSAD 2026 in a safe way.


If you are concerned about any COVID-19 related risks during the conference, please notify the conference secretariat on +61 2 8204 0770.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Conference Secretariat: apsadconference(at)ashm.org.au or on +61 2 8204 0770. Our operating hours are 9am – 5pm AET, Monday-Friday.

Code of Conduct

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all participants’ behaviour at or related to the Conference/s, including -but not limited to- media, sponsors, volunteers, speakers and attendees to all conference venues and any conference-related activity. All attendees at the conference are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organisers will enforce this code throughout the event.


We are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), health and lifestyle choices or technology choices. We expect all attendees to behave accordingly, addressing other participants in an inclusive, mindful and respectful manner.


Due to the sensitive topics that will be discussed during the conference, it is crucial to consider that some of the speakers or participants may have lived experience of stigma and discrimination. Therefore, we invite all sponsors, volunteers, speakers, attendees, media, exhibitors and other participants to help us make the conference a safe and positive experience for everyone.


Please ensure you read and understand the APSAD Conference Code of Conduct here.

Consequences of unacceptable behaviour

  • Unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated
  • Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately
  • If a participant continues to engage in unacceptable behaviour after being given a warning, the conference organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from the conference without warning or refund. In extreme cases the conference organisers will contact the appropriate authorities.


What to do if you witness or are a victim of unacceptable behaviour

  • If you are subjected to unacceptable behaviour, notice that someone else is being subjected to unacceptable behaviour, or have any other concerns during the event, please notify a member of the ASHM Conference team as soon as possible. All reports will remain completely confidential
  • The ASHM Conference team will be available to assist those experiencing unacceptable behaviour to feel safe for the duration of the conference

Unacceptable behaviour

  • Unacceptable behaviour includes: intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning conduct by any attendees of the conference and related events
  • Harassment includes: offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention
  • Physical, written, verbal or other abuse, intimidation, threats, annoyance, harassment, stalking, pushing, shoving or use of any physical force whatsoever against any person, which in any way creates a disturbance that is disruptive or dangerous, or creates anxiety in a person
  • Any boisterous, lewd or offensive behaviour or language, including but not limited to using sexually explicit or offensive language, materials or conduct, or any language, behaviour or content that contains profanity, obscene gestures, or racial, gender or religious slurs
  • Assembling for the purpose of, or resulting in, disturbing the peace, or committing any unlawful act or engaging in any offensive behaviour
  • Failure to obey any rules or regulations of the venue and the conference organisers

Expected behaviour

  • Be considerate and respectful
  • Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behaviour and speech
  • Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow attendees.
  • Alert conference organisers if you experience or notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress

Consequences of unacceptable behaviour

  • Unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated
  • Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately
  • If a participant continues to engage in unacceptable behaviour after being given a warning, the conference organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from the conference without warning or refund. In extreme cases the conference organisers will contact the appropriate authorities.

What to do if you witness or are a victim of unacceptable behaviour

  • If you are subjected to unacceptable behaviour, notice that someone else is being subjected to unacceptable behaviour, or have any other concerns during the event, please notify a member of the ASHM Conference team as soon as possible. All reports will remain completely confidential
  • The ASHM Conference team will be available to assist those experiencing unacceptable behaviour to feel safe for the duration of the conference.

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APSAD acknowledges that the conference is being held on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people. We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s continuing connection to land, water, and community and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. APSAD acknowledges Sovereignty in this country has never been ceded. It always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Copyright 2024 by ASHM Conference & Events Division | apsadconference(at)ashm.org.au | +61 2 8204 0770