CALL FOR LEGAL HEROIN INJECTING ROOM TO BE REGULATED

The New South Wales Opposition says the Government must immediately
put in place regulations governing the operation of Australia's first
legal heroin injecting room.

The medically supervised centre is run by the Uniting Church and
opened in Kings Cross last week despite complaints from local
businesses and the New South Wales Opposition.

The Opposition's police spokesman, Andrew Tink, says there are no
regulations on how the centre is operated and no rules of conduct for
people using the injecting room.

He says the Government must immediately rectify the
situation.

"It provides greater certainty for police, for everybody involved in
the operation of the centre and the public many of whom are opposed to
this centre in the first place," he said.

"At the very least they have the right to know through regulations
what the conduct in the centre is to be, what the rules are to be."

A spokesman for the Government says there is no need for the
regulations, because the operation of the injecting room is covered by
the license held by the Uniting Church.

He says the Government has the power to revoke the license at any
time, but there is no pressing need to do so at this stage.

He says the Government believes the Uniting Church is more than able
to operate the facility.