SYDNEY INJECTING CENTRE CLAIMS EARLY SUCCESS

Australia's first legal heroin injecting room was claiming success today
after opening its doors to addicts for the first time last night.

Spokesman for the centre, Pat Kennedy, said the first user had already
agreed to be referred on for professional counselling after coming into the
centre.

The controversial centre, in Sydney's Kings Cross, operated without
incident between 6pm and 10pm last night, Mr Kennedy said.

Mr Kennedy said the number of users who took up the opportunity to use the
supervised injecting room was kept down by the media presence, including a
number of television crews and newspaper reporters.

The centre was expected to open again around midday today.

Mr Kennedy said the centre's operators were pleased with the first official
operating session.

"It was a great opportunity last night for a couple of people who have come
into the doors to seek counselling by professionals," he said.

"At least one took up the opportunity to be referred to professional services.

"This is not just about a place where people come to inject in a supervised
area, it also allows them to seek counselling."

Five councillors would be present during every shift, Mr Kennedy said.

The duty officer at Kings Cross police station, Inspector Peter Brooks,
said there were no reports of any problems associated with the opening of
the centre.

"There have been no incidents, everything seemed to have gone very
smoothly," he said.

However, NSW opposition leader Kerry Chikarovski labelled the opening of
the room as a sad day for Sydney.

"I've said all along that personally I believe the money that's been
involved in that project would be better spent on rehabilitation, getting
people off drugs rather than helping them continue with their addiction,"
she told ABC radio.

The medically supervised injecting room can host up to 200 injecting
episodes a day, in two four hour sessions.

The room has a capacity of 16 people at any one time.

A private security firm has been retained to protect users when they enter
and leave the facility.