Specialist AOD workers are those whose core role involves preventing and responding to AOD harm. They include AOD counsellors (including Quitline counsellors), nurses, social workers, doctors, peer workers, needle and syringe program workers, health promotion workers, policy officers, addiction medicine specialists, and specialist psychologists and psychiatrists. These workers may be employed in AOD specialist organisations or in AOD programs within non-specialist organisations.

Health generalist workers are health workers with non-AOD-related core roles who can play a key role in preventing and minimising AOD-related harm through screening, providing brief interventions and harm reduction information, referral to specialist services, and providing treatment or case management of less complex AOD cases. Health generalist workers include general practitioners, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners, other primary healthcare workers, emergency workers, other hospital workers, the mental health workforce, and the pharmacy workforce.

Non-health generalist workers are employed in the mainstream workforce and have non-AOD-related core roles, but nonetheless can prevent and minimise AOD harm by identifying the potential for AOD issues, providing harm reduction information, and referring people to AOD services. Examples include:

• The criminal justice workforce, including the court system, police, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander law enforcement and community liaison officers, and correctional officers
• Community, welfare, and support services including those working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities, in child protection, in disability support services, and in the homelessness, unemployment, income support, and youth sectors
• Public health practitioners
• The aged care sector
• The education sector.