ADVISER REJECTS DRUG PLAN CRITICISM

The Victorian Government's chief drugs adviser yesterday rejected
Opposition claims that proposed legislation to establish supervised
injecting facilities was lacking in detail.

The Opposition has repeatedly called on the government to give specific
information relating to how the trial would be evaluated, the legal
protocols for operating the facilities, and the medical treatment provided
at the centres.

David Penington yesterday told a nursing federation conference the detail
had been provided. "It's all there," he said.

"Robert Doyle says we haven't said whether there's going to be treatment
available - it's in the legislation that any injecting facility would be
required to offer access to counselling and to medical treatment," he said.

"We have been told we haven't said how it will be evaluated - it is in the
framework document tabled in the parliament, that the evaluation will
involve assessment of the local community attitude as to whether the
facility is a plus for that community, whether it is reducing the problems
in the community or not.

"We have said there have to be protocols with the policing and we've got
broad outlined protocols which will apply statewide, with the agreement of
the Victoria police. The police will in fact concentrate on removing
trafficking from the vicinity of a facility. It is all there."

Dr Penington said he believed, after addressing the Liberal Party this
week, that there was a sense there needed to be a better understanding of
some of the drug issues and more time was needed.

He warned the party the drug problem would still be there when they were
next in government.

Dr Penington said the Royal Australasian College of Physicians informed him
this week they would soon announce public support of his committee's
recommendations.