An ‘Ice Age’ in the Outback? Problematising the Rural ‘Meth Epidemic’ in Australia

• In Event: Drugs in Rural and Remote Communities: Examining the Role of Locational Context and Cultural Geography (Organized by the Division of Rural Criminology)

Abstract

Popular news media outlets have frequently reported that there is a ‘meth epidemic’ in rural Australia. Considering that news media reporting contributes significantly to public perceptions of particular social problems such as drug use, understanding the ways that the media represents drug-related issues is an important area for investigation. Based on a critical analysis of a sample of 200 newspaper articles published in Australian news outlets between 2000 and 2018, this paper investigates problematisations of the methamphetamine ‘epidemic’ in rural Australia. The key findings explore representations of the ‘rural’ and the rural methamphetamine-using subject, the relationship posed between rurality and methamphetamine use, as well as policy proposals or recommendations for action presented in the articles. These findings are discussed in relation to the international literature on media representations of drug use in rural areas to identify areas of overlap as well as issues unique to the Australian context.

Author

• Natalie Thomas, University of New England