VIC NATIONALS TO OPPOSE SAFE INJECTING HOUSES

The National Party in Victoria is to oppose in Parliament the State's
plan to set up supervised injecting houses for drug users.

Nationals leader Peter Ryan is describing the proposal as a dangerous
social experiment that has no guarantee of success.

The National Party will vote against the relevant legislation in both
the Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament later this year.

However, the legislation will only be blocked if the Liberal Party
also votes against it and the party is yet to decide its position on
the issue.

Opposition leader Denis Napthine says he wants to gauge the
community's view on injecting houses before deciding whether to use
the Liberal's Upper House majority to stymie the proposal.

As the political manouevring continues, the Government has announced
plans to expand statewide a successful drug diversion program that
gives drug users the option of counselling instead of a court
appearance.