Published Research

• Seow S, Swensen G, Willis D, Hartfield M & Chapman C.
  Extraneous drug use in methadone-supported patients.
  Medical Journal of Australia, 1980, 1, 269-271.


• Seow SW, Quigley AJ, Ilett KF, Dusci LJ, Swensen G, Harrison-Stewart A & Rappeport L.
  Buprenorphine: a new maintenance opiate?
  Medical Journal of Australia, 1986, 144, 407-411.


• Quigley AJ, Seow SSW, Ilett KF, Dusci L, Swensen G, Harrison-Stewart A & Rappeport L.
  Buprenorphine detoxification after maintenance treatment.
  Australian Drug/Alcohol Review, 1987, 6, 5-10.


• Swensen G.
  Opioid drug deaths in Western Australia: 1974 – 1984.
  Australian Drug/Alcohol Review, 1988, 7, 181-185.

  A study of the 108 opioid related deaths in Western Australia (WA) in the 11 year period from 1974 to 1984, found that nearly two thirds of these were due to the use of licit opioids. Whilst the most frequent licit opoid related death was due to propoxyphene, an important finding was that 19 deaths were due to methadone - most of which occurred at a time when methadone was unregulated & prescribed & dispensed by private practitioners. Click here to view or download a PDF version (40k) of this paper.

• Swensen G, Quigley A & Lenton S.
  Hepatitis B infection - a proxy measure of risk factors for HIV infection in IDUs? (Letter to Editor).
  Medical Journal of Australia, 1990, 153, 434-435.


• Swensen G.
  The cost of the Western Australian methadone program.
  Australian Drug/Alcohol Review, 1989, 8, 35-37.

  A study of the cost of the WA methadone program for the year 1986, when methadone treatment was only provided through a public methadone program based at William Street Clinic, operated by the WA Alcohol & Drug Authority.Click here to view or download a PDF version (24k) of this paper.

• Swensen G, Ilett KF, Dusci LJ, Hackett LP, Ong RTT, Quigley AJ, Lenton S, Saker R & Caporn J.
  Patterns of drug use by participants in the WA methadone program, 1984-1991.
  Medical Journal of Australia, 1993, 159, 373-376.


• Swensen G.
  Drug problems in Western Australia. A review of non criminal mechanisms to regulate drug users by use of the Health Act 1911.
  E-Law - Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law, 1994, 1(3).

  This paper examined a system established under the Health Act 1911, which has operated in WA since 1958, that requires a medical practitioner to notify the Executive Director Public Health if the doctor is aware or suspects that a person is addicted to a drug specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Poisons Act 1964. (Eighth Schedule drugs are defined as being drugs of addiction.) The paper includes an examination of the administrative procedures instituted under the Drugs of Addiction Notification Regulations 1980 & whether the rules of procedural fairness could be implied as to how the regulations & the associated Register of notified addicts operate.

  Click here to view or download a PDF version (204k) of this paper.

• Swensen G.
  Female genital mutilation and human rights.
  Australian Social Work, 1995, 48, 27-33.

  The paper specifically considers the consequences if claims of cultural relativism were extended to FGM, as the practice would be justified as culturally mandated. Such an outcome would mean that Australia and other jurisdictions would thereby fail to recognise FGM as a transgression of a number of universal human rights contained in instruments ratified under the aegis of the United Nations, to which many countries, including Australia, are signatories.

  Click here to view or download a PDF version (220k) of this article.

• Swensen G.
  The drug war - Asian style. A study of legal measures adopted to combat illegal drug use in Singapore and China.
  E-Law - Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law, 1999, 6(1).

  The article identified unexpected similarities in the legal & administrative structures in the responses by these two jurisdictions to those who use illicit drugs, given that Singapore’s is a literate and wealth society and has a legal system steeped in many common law principles through it being a former British colony, whereas the PRC has a history deeply steeped in Confucianist values.

  Both countries follow a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ which emphasises severe criminal sanctions to punish users of illicit drugs and places a heavy reliance on detention by administrative action of individuals in detoxification centres.Click here to view or download a PDF version (44k) of this study.

• Hargreaves K, Lenton S, Phillips M & Swensen G.
  Potential impacts on the incidence of fatal heroin-related overdose in Western Australia, a time series analysis.
  Drug & Alcohol Review, 2002, 21, 321-327.

Swensen G & Prior J.
Law reform concerning minor cannabis offences in WA
Brief (Journal of Law Society of Western Australia), 2004, 31(4), 13-16.

This article outlines the background to the CIN scheme, which commenced on 22 March 2004, following the passage of the Cannabis Control Act 2003 through the Western Australian Parliament on 23 September 2003. The introduction of the CIN scheme meant that WA became the fourth Australian jursidiction to decriminalise minor cannabis offences. The article discusses some of the goals of the CIN scheme, its major provisions and how it built upon & refined the three established schemes in 2003 that expiated minor cannabis offences, in South Australia (SA), the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). Click here to view or download a PDF version (164k) of this paper.

• Swensen G & Crofts T.
  Reforms to minor cannabis offences in the United Kingdom & Western Australia.
  Web Journal of Current Legal Issues, 2005, 1.

  The paper examines the different approaches followed in the United Kingdom (UK) & Western Australia (WA) that were introduced in each jurisdiction in January & March 2004 respectively in relation to how police might deal with minor cannabis offenders.

  In WA new legislation established the criteria and framework for police to issue a cannabis infringement notice (CIN), with a scale of monetary penalties, to a person who committed any of four expiable offences. If the offender expiated the infringement notice within 28 days by either paying the penalty or attending a cannabis education session (CES) there are no further consequences. Compared to the WA scheme, in the UK police discretion was formalised through guidelines issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which provided the option of cautioning an offender who possessed an amount of cannabis considered as being for personal use.

  A common theme in both jurisdictions is that these measures did not disturb the underlying principle that cannabis continued to remain illegal, that the reforms were accompanied by an expansion in the scope of the law in relation to those who commit supply offences and that juveniles were excluded. The article notes the reform process was largely conducted by expert groups with oversight by parliamentary committees & that in both jurisdictions government sought to present reform as a measure that would better manage the health and conviction harms due to the criminalisation of cannabis. Click here to view or download a PDF version (143k) of this paper or to go to the Web JCLI website for an online version.

LLM Thesis

Swensen G.
Reform of minor cannabis laws in Western Australia, the United Kingdom & New Zealand (2006)

This publication examines in some detail the history of cannabis law reform in WA, the UK & New Zealand (NZ). These three case studies are accompanied by a review of decriminalisation of cannabis in a number of Western countries. The publication includes an examination of some of the reasons for reform failing to occur in NZ, even though it shares similarities with WA and the UK in the evolution of drug policy and the legal framework for criminalising cannabis & other drugs.

The report discusses how over the past three decades there has been intense and sustained debate in a number of major Western countries about the wisdom of the criminal justice system continuing to severely punish offenders by fines and even imprisonment due to the adoption of policies that prohibit the use, possession and cultivation of cannabis. This debate has proceeded against a background of apparent failure of the prohibition of cannabis, as there have been a large and growing number of young adults who have been exposed to cannabis.

The discussion also refers to growing evidence that some of those who have been charged and received criminal convictions with attendant deleterious effects on their employment and wellbeing has forced policy makers to re-evaluate the justification for continuing to criminalise cannabis. The thesis consists of the following chapters:

• Introduction (Ch 1)
• Drug law enforcement & drug markets (Ch 2)
• Models of cannabis law reform (Ch 3)
• Case studies of cannabis law reform (Ch 4)
• Decriminalisation of cannabis - What is known? (Ch 5)
• Consequences of cannabis law reform (Ch 6)
• Lessons from cannabis law reform (Ch 7)

Click here to go to the Murdoch University Digital These Program to view or download the full report, as separate chapters (PDFs).

Monograph

Swensen G.
The 2004 cannabis law reforms in Western Australia & the United Kingdom: A case of too much caution?
Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag Dr. Müeller, 2008. [ISBN: 978-3-639-03177-5]

This 360 page monograph is based on the above thesis which was submitted in October 2006 as a major requirment of a LLM at Murdoch University. It was published in mid 2008 by the German publishers academic VDM Verlag Dr Müller. It is available for online purchase through a number of online booksellers.

Drug Law Reform Reports

Statutory review of Cannabis Control Act

The statutory review examined the first three years operation of the Cannabis Control Act 2003 (CCA). Whilst the review covered the three year period from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2007, when a total of 9,328 CINs were issued, technically as the CIN scheme commenced 22 March 2004, the study also included the 52 CINs issued in March 2004.

The review was published as three separate reports, two of which were tabled in the WA Parliament in November 2007 - the Technical report & and the Executive summary.The third report, Supplementary tables & figures, was published at the same time on the Drug & Alcohol Office (DAO) website.

The review considered the impact of the CIN scheme as well as additional issues related to the ambit of the other provisions contained in the CCA, as evident in the Technical report, such as the regulation of the sale of cannabis smoking paraphernalia & public health measures in conjunction with the CIN scheme. The Technical report consists of 11 chapters as follows:

• Minor cannabis offences & law reform (Ch 1)
• CIN scheme: first 3 years (Ch 2)
• Prevalence of cannabis & other drug use (Ch 3)
• Community views on cannabis law reforms (Ch 4)
• Harms associated with cannabis (Ch 5)
• Help seeking behaviour (Ch 6)
• Costs & benefits of CIN scheme (Ch 7)
• Targeting of serious drug offenders (Ch 8)
• Cannabis smoking paraphernalia (Ch 9)
• Juveniles (Ch 10)
• Feasibility of mandatory cannabis education (Ch 11)

The Technical report also has 11 Appendices which contain detailed tables, extracts of legislation, copies of education materials & newspaper advertisements & other types of materials such as forms, guidelines and administrative instructions:

• CIN scheme data tables & figures (App 1)
• Help seeking behaviour (App 2)
• Knowledge & attitudes about cannabis harms & law reform issues (App 3)
• Criminal justice data tables & figures (App 4)
• Prevalence of cannabis & other drug use (App 5)
• Cannabis smoking paraphernalia (App 6)
• Cannabis education session materials (App 7)
• Legislation, police & court data systems (App 8)
• Forms, guidelines, instructions & training protocols (App 9)
• List of those who made written submissions (App 10)
• Methodology & research issues (App 11)

The reports associated with the statutory review (ie Technical report, Executive summary & Supplementary tables & figures) are presently available from the DAO website here.

Working Party on Drug Law Reform

The Working Party on Drug Law Reform (WPDLR), was established by the Minister for Health in December 2001 following the WA Drug Summit held in August 2001.

Note: The proceedings of the five days of the Drug Summit, background papers, the final report & other materials are presently available from the Drug & Alcohol Office website here.

The key purpose of the WPDLR, which was to provide the Government with options to establish a scheme for minor cannabis offenders to expiate offences instead of being charged by the police, as recommended by the Drug Summit, was set out in a report published in March 2002, Implementation of a scheme of prohibition with civil penalties for the personal use of cannabis and other matters. The report also included consideration of the feasibility of other reforms involving aspects of cannabis laws in WA. Most of the recommendations of the WPDLR with respect to establishing an infringement notice scheme were accepted and were used to create the Cannabis Control Bill 2003, which was introduced into the WA Parliament in March 2003.

Click here to view or download a PDF version (1.3MB) of the first report.

In addition to the first report concerning cannabis law reforms, the WPDLR also produced a second report in February 2004, Law enforcement measures to reduce harms associated with injecting drug use in Western Australia.

Click here to view or download a PDF version (926k) of the second report.

The WPDLR was dissolved in March 2004. Both reports of the WPDLR are presently available from the Drug & Alcohol Office website here.

Epidemiology Reports

• Swensen G.
  Indicators of illicit drugs in Western Australia, 1981-1989. Statistical Series No. 26. Perth, Epidemiology and Research Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1991.


• Swensen G, Westlund G & Baker MR.
  Sales of needles & syringes in WA: the SS5 Pack Project 1987-1990. Occasional Paper No. 47. Perth, Health Services Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1992. Click here to view or download a PDF version (60k) of this article.
• Swensen G.
  Deaths from tobacco smoking in Western Australia, 1981-1990. Occasional Paper No. 48. Perth, Health Services Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1992.


• Swensen G.
  Indicators of drug abuse in Western Australia, 1981-1990. Occasional Paper No. 49. Perth, Health Services Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1993.


• Swensen G.
  Deaths caused by alcohol use in Western Australia, 1981-1990. Occasional Paper No. 50. Perth, Health Services Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1993.


• Swensen G.
  Mortality attributable to drug use in Western Australia, 1981-1991. Occasional Paper No. 51. Perth, Health Services Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1993.


• Veroni M, Swensen G & Thomson N.
  Hospital admissions in Western Australia wholly attributable to alcohol use: 1981-1990. Perth, Health Services Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1993.


• Unwin E, Swensen G, Moroz P & Thomson N.
  Hospitalisation due to alcohol caused injuries in Western Australia, 1981-1992. Occasional Paper No. 54. Perth, Health Services Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1994.


• Swensen G & Unwin E.
  A study of hospitalisation and mortality due to alcohol use in the Kimberley Health Region of Western Australia, 1988-1992. Occasional Paper No. 57. Perth, Health Services Statistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1994.


• Swensen G & Unwin E.
  Indicators of drug use in Western Australia, 1982-1992. Occasional Paper No. 58. Perth, Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1995.


• Serafino S, Swensen G & Thomson N.
  Attempted suicide in Western Australia, 1981-1993. Occasional Paper No. 79. Perth, Epidemiology Branch, Health Department of Western Australia, 1996.


• Unwin E, Codde E & Swensen G.
  Hospitalisation due to drugs other than tobacco or alcohol in Western Australia, 1991-1995. Occasional Paper No. 87. Perth, Epidemiology and Analytical Services, Health Department of Western Australia and WA Drug Abuse Strategy Office, 1997.


• Unwin E, Codde J, Swensen G & Saunders P.
  The impact of tobacco smoking on health in Western Australia, 1984 – 1995. Perth, Epidemiology and Analytical Services, Health Department of Western Australia, 1997.


• Unwin E, Codde E, Swensen G & Saunders P.
  Alcohol caused deaths and hospitalisation in Western Australia by Health Services. Occasional Paper No. 88. Perth, Epidemiology and Analytical Services, Health Department of Western Australia and WA Drug Abuse Strategy Office, 1997.

Statistical Bulletins

Between 1996 & 2008 I produced a series of short reports, styled as Statistical Bulletins. The first series was produced by the Task Force on Drug Abuse (May 1996 - June 1997), the second by the WA Drug Abuse Strategy Office (July 1997 - June 2001) & the third series by the Drug & Alcohol Office after July 2001 (after it took over functions of WADASO).

• No. 1: Drug related traffic fatalities in Western Australia. (May 1996)
• No. 2: Mortality caused by opioids, Western Australia, 1995. (August 1996)
• No. 3: Needles and syringes, Western Australia, 1995. (December 1996)
• No. 4: Opioid deaths, Western Australia, 1996. (July 1997)
• No. 5: Utilisation of sobering up centres, Western Australia, 1990-1997. (June 1999)
• No. 6: Distribution of needles & syringes, Western Australia, 1987-1997. (March 1999)
• No. 7: Alcohol sales, Western Australia, 1967/1968–1997/1998. (May 2000)
• No. 8: Accidental heroin related deaths, Western Australia, 1997-1998. (May 2000)
• No. 9: Drug offences, Western Australia, 1998-1999. (July 2000)
• No. 10: Drug offences, Western Australia, 1998-2000. (February 2001)
• No. 11: Utilisation of sobering up centres & their impact on detentions for drunkenness, Western Australia, 1990-2000. (April 2001)
• No. 12: Seizure of illicit drugs, Western Australia, 1998-2000. (May 2001)
• No. 13: Drug related telephone calls, Western Australia, 1985-2000. (June 2001)
• No. 14: Distribution of needles and syringes, Western Australia, 1987-2000. (July 2001)
• No. 15: Deaths caused by heroin and other illicit drugs, Western Australia, 1995-2000. (June 2002)
• No. 16: Drug offences & seizures, Western Australia, 1998-2004. (December 2003)
• No. 17: Utilisation of sobering up centres, Western Australia, 1990-2002. (September 2003)
• No. 18: Distribution of needles & syringes, Western Australia, 1987-2002. (December 2003)
• No. 19: Distribution of needles & syringes, Western Australia, 1987-2003. (December 2004)
• No. 20: Utilisation of sobering up centres, Western Australia, 1990-2003. (January 2005)
• No. 21: Utilisation of sobering up centres, Western Australia, 1990-2004. (June 2005)
• No. 22: Utilisation of services, Western Australia, 1999-2004. (December 2005)
• No. 23: Distribution of needles & syringes, Western Australia, 1987-2004. (July 2006)
• No. 24: Drug related offences & seizures, Western Australia, 1998-2005. (June 2006)
• No. 25: Drug related telephone calls, Western Australia, 1986-2005. (July 2006)
• No. 26: Summary of illicit drug prevalence, Western Australia, 2004. (June 2006)
• No. 27: Illicit drug related deaths: State & national data. (June 2006)
• No. 28: Drug related psychiatric outpatient mental disorders due to the use of psychoactive drugs (excluding alcohol), Western Australia, 2000-2006. (June 2007)
• No. 29: Drug related psychiatric inpatient mental disorders due to the use of psychoactive drugs (excluding alcohol), Western Australia, 2000-2006. (June 2007)
• No. 30: Distribution of needles & syringes, Western Australia, 1987-2005. (January 2007)
• No. 31: Alcohol prevalence, Western Australia: 2004. (June 2007)
• No. 32: Confirmed deaths caused by opioids, Western Australia, 1995-2004. (May 2008)
• No. 33: Drug related convictions, Western Australia, 2002-2006. (May 2008)
• No. 34: Drug related telephone calls, Western Australia, 1986-2006. (June 2007)
• No. 35: Drug related offences & seizures, Western Australia, 1998-2006. (March 2007)
• No. 36: Utilisation of sobering up centres, Western Australia, 1990-2005. (June 2007)
• No. 37: Summary of West Australian results, Australian School Students’ Alcohol & Drug Survey, 2005. (June 2007)
• No. 38: Indicators of drug abuse: Amphetamine type stimulants. (June 2007)
• No. 39: Confirmed deaths caused by amphetamines, Western Australia, 1997-2004. (May 2008)
• No. 40: Overview of trends in opioid related mortality, Western Australia 1995-2004 & Australia 1988-2005. (May 2008)
• No. 41: Utilisation of sobering up centres, Western Australia, 1990-2007. (May 2008)
• No. 42: Distribution of needles & syringes, Western Australia, 1987-2006. (May 2008)

These reports are presently available from the Drug & Alcohol Office website here.

Unpublished Papers

Swensen G.
A study of convictions for drug offences in Western Australia: 2002-2006 (2008).
This paper was written in June 2008 and contains an analysis of summarised data to understand & identify trends in drug related convictions recorded in the lower courts in WA over the five year 2002-2006.

The paper provides both annual and quarterly breakdowns of counts of convictions for charges laid under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 in relation to Section 5 offences (offences concerned with premises, implements & utensils), Section 6 offences (offences concerned with prohibited drugs) and Section 7 offences (offences concerned with prohibited plants). Within each of these three categories of offences, the paper also includes a breakdown of the number of charges by gender, age group, type of court, drug group and conviction outcome. Click here to view or download a PDF version (508k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
Alcohol caused mental disorders in Western Australia with reference to the Indigenous population: 1981-1991 (1996).
This paper was written in 1996 and involves an analysis of trends in hospitalisation due to alcoholic psychoses in WA over the period 1981 to 1992 by examining the prevalence of this mental disorder in the Indigenous population compared with the non-Indigenous population in WA.

The context of the study was to develop a better understanding of four interrelated issues involved in Indigenous deaths in custody - incarceration in police cells, alcoholism & acute intoxication, alcohol caused disorders of ideation and perception and suicide. Click here to view or download a PDF version (852k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
The management of radiation hazards from the mining of mineral sands in Western Australia (1996).
This paper was written in 1996 & considers the approach followed in Western Australia (WA) for dealing with the environmental hazards of ionising radiation associated with the mining & processing of titaniferous minerals contained in mineral sands deposits. The paper refers to growing public awareness of the risks posed by one of these minerals, monazite, which emits low levels of radiation as it contains thorium & uranium, which has resulted in greater public scrutiny of practices adopted by the mineral sands industry to address the occupational & public health risks that arise from mining and processing. Click here to view or download a PDF version (132k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
Management of old growth forests in accordance with national objectives: Western Australian experience (1996).
This paper was written in 1996 as a case study of the recent history in WA in regard to the development of mechanisms to adequately recognise and protect conservation values that are inherent in old growth forests. The paper includes discussion of some of the mechanisms utilised in the US to manage these precious resources, which in WA, as they have been severely exploited, now exist as remnants.

The paper also refers to the increasingly important role played by the Commonweatlh as a pacesetter for a set of national environmental standards, often after protracted negotiation and on occasions resolved only after unsuccessful constitutional challenge. Click here to view or download a PDF version (68k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
Drug offender diversion: A review of some of the issues (1995).
This paper written in June 1995 and reviews the development of the concept of diverting offenders from the criminal justice system to treatment programs, covering the broad period from the Vera Institute's 1968 court diversion scheme up to the early 1990s.

The paper discusses the establishment of formal diversion schemes for drug dependent offenders & canvasses a number of advantages of these schemes, including minimisation of the stigma and ostracism associated with conviction. The paper also outlines a number of reservations about diversion schemes, including they may be experimental in nature, been setup for non-therapeutic purposes or to access Commonwealth funded health services. Click here to view or download a PDF version (168k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
Aboriginal law in action. A brief report on a field trip to Aboriginal sacred sites in Perth, September 1994 (1994).
This paper (with photos) was written in in September 1994 & describes a guided tour of sites of significance in the Perth metropolitan area.

As noted in the paper - "Many of the sites had only survived because of very determined efforts by small numbers of activists & concerned scientists who had helped to build flimsy dikes around tiny fragments of the former diverse cultural matrix that had existed throughout the metro area before British 'settlement' in 1829. Over time, up to the present day, these remnants had been continually overwhelmed by 'progress'." Click here to view or download a PDF version (276k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
Inequality of health between Aborigines & non-Aborigines (1994).
This paper was written in November 1994 by a comparative analysis of available information concerning measures of health, including data from the 1994 WA Task Force on Aboriginal Social Justice, to develop an understanding of Indigenous inequality in Australian society. The paper argues that resources need to be directed to economic development initiatives, for otherwise most Indigenous people in Australia will remain in poverty & unable to exercise any right of self-determination. Click here to view or download a PDF version (60k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
Heroin addiction & treatment: A case study of the Western Australian methadone program (1990).
This paper was written in 1990 as a case study. It contains a detailed history of methadone treatment in WA covering the period from late 1973 to the end 1989, at which time more than 2,300 individuals had received this form of treatment. This research was submitted in December 1990 as a thesis for the requirements of a MA in Public Policy. Click here to view or download a PDF version (448k) of this study.

Swensen G.
To regulate or not: Politicians, prostitution & the police (1989).
This paper was written in September 1989 & considers the implications for sex workers in WA who operated under the containment policy developed by the police over a number of years which regulated the sex industry in WA by maintaining a system of preferred operators. Click here to view or download a PDF version (192k) of this paper.

Ronn S & Swensen G.
HIV/AIDS survey of drug treatment services in Perth, April 1988 (1988).
Preliminary research was undertaken in April 1988 with Stefan Ronn, a social work student, which involved a survey of five specialist service providers in Perth, WA. This paper contains the transcripts from the interviews with the five respondents from these agencies. This material provides a snapshot of knowledge & understanding of HIV/AIDS in early 1988, when there was just starting to be a growing awareness of the challenge for alcohol and other drug treatment agencies in responding to risk behaviours of their clientele. Click here to view or download a PDF version (284k) of this paper.

Webb J & Swensen G.
Descriptive study of women with children who participated in the WA methadone program, June 1989 (1989).
Preliminary research was undertaken in June 1989 with Jane Webb, a social work student. The study identified that out of the 500 persons who participated in the WA methadone program, 216 were women, of whom a total of 127 had one or more children. The research highlighted that methadone treatment programs should develop a broader understanding of their role by developing additional resources to enhance parent functioning & that females with children may be considered as a group with special needs. Click here to view or download a PDF version (140k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
The state & the alcohol industry in Western Australia (1985).
This paper was originally published in the March-April 1985 issue of Social Work News. It discusses some of the implications from the release in 1984 of the reports from two official inquiries in WA, with particular reference to the Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into the Liquor Laws, which was chaired by Judge Syme of the Licensing Court. Click here to view or download a PDF version (176k) of this paper.

Rousset F, Light S & Swensen G.
A survey of 23 women with children in methadone treatment in Perth, June 1983 (1983).
A survey was undertaken in June 1983 with Francoise Rousset & Susan Light, two psychology students, to identify some of the common problems & circumstances of women with children who attended an outpatient methadone treatment program in Perth, Western Australia (WA). This exploratory research was designed to develop an understanding of possible additional services for this particular client group & to compare the needs of this small sample with findings from research elsewhere. Click here to view or download a PDF version (172k) of this paper.

Swensen G.
Criminal convictions & psychosocial variables of 765 drug abusers who sought treatment at William Street Clinic, January 1979 - December 1982, Perth, Western Australia (1983).
Paper presented at 53rd ANZAAS (Australian New Zealand Association for Advancement of Science) Congress, Perth, WA, 16-20 May 1983. Click here to view or download a PDF version (40k) of this paper.

South West Forest Defence Foundation.
Non-compliance with the provisions for environmental protection in the Marri Woodchip Project Enviornmental Impact Statement (1979). Based on a survey conducted in April 1979 by a number of members of the SWFDF, including myself, which was published by South West Forest Defence Foundation in May 1979. Click here to view or download a PDF version (6.1 MB) of this paper.