BRACKS VOWS TO PRESS AHEAD WITH VICTORIAN INJECTING ROOMS

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks today vowed to press ahead with legislation
enabling a trial of supervised heroin injecting rooms despite the
Opposition's decision to reject it.

The legislation, which is due to be considered by parliament in the
upcoming spring session, requires the support of Liberal Party MPs to pass
through the upper house.

But Opposition leader Denis Napthine today announced that the Liberal Party
would block the legislation because it sent the 'wrong message' to
Victorians and it condoned illicit drug use rather than condemned it.

Mr Bracks said the Liberal Party appeared to have had a preconceived view
on injecting facilities, and its claim in recent months that it needed to
further consider the matter was a sham.

'Well, whatever he (Dr Napthine) does is irrelevant in that we will
continue to pursue this legislation through the parliament,' Mr Bracks told
reporters.

'We'll continue to work with the goodwill of those members of parliament
who want to achieve a real outcome in saving lives and minimising harm.'

Mr Bracks accused Dr Napthine of being spineless and backing away from an
undertaking not to make a decision on support of the legislation until
October, which would have allowed more time for debate and consultation
over the issue.

'He's actually welshed on his own undertaking,' Mr Bracks said.

'It shows no spine, no leadership and no backbone on what has been a key
test for the Liberal Party here in Victoria.

'And the test was: Were they interested in proper consultation? Were they a
party that had an open mind to consider properly whether supervised
injecting facilities as part of a wider plan would save lives?'

The premier said the government would be 'disappointed' if the Liberal
Party voted down the legislation enabling the injecting trials to proceed.

However, the government's strategy against drug abuse still contained many
other elements that would go ahead - including improved detoxification and
rehabilitation facilities, drug education and improved law enforcement on
drugs.

Those elements would help save lives but the injecting rooms would help
save even more, Mr Bracks said.

Dr Napthine told reporters that the Liberal Party unanimously opposed
supervised injecting rooms, with his personal opinion swayed in part by a
teenager who asked him how the government could decry the illegal drug use
while setting up centres for heroin injection.

As an alternative, the Opposition announced 'Combating Drugs ... A Safer
Way', an $80 million a year anti-drugs campaign aimed heavily at traffickers.

The Liberal strategy includes confiscation of all the assets of a drug
trafficker, introducing special drug divisions in the magistrates and
county courts, and introducing compulsory detoxification treatment for
overdose victims.

The plan would also include zero waiting time for drug treatment by opening
up to 500 new detoxification and rehabilitation beds.

Dr Napthine said he would seek bipartisan support in the strategy, similar
to that unsuccessfully sought by the government for safe injecting rooms.

Mr Bracks said the Liberal's strategy was ill-thought, non-costed and
cobbled together.