LIBERALS TAKE TIME TO WEIGH HEROIN TRIAL

The Liberal Party appears likely to delay its decision about supervised
injecting facilities until a regional retreat in mid-August.

The party's retreat in Geelong on August 10 and 11 is shaping as the most
likely time for the State Opposition to thrash out its final position on the
injecting trial after meeting with drug experts yesterday.

One senior Liberal said the whole party would be able to devote the amount
of time needed to debate the issue at the retreat.

With the opposition still urging the government to detail how the trial will
be evaluated and where it would be, the Liberal MP said a decision was more
likely to be made later than sooner.

Opposition Leader Denis Napthine promised the party would make its decision
before parliament resumed on August 15.

He said the party would not allow a conscience vote.

The government's drugs adviser, David Penington, the Prime Minister's drugs
policy expert from the Salvation Army, Brian Watters, and VicHealth chief
executive Rob Moodie addressed the opposition yesterday. Dr Napthine said
the session was not intended as a debate and said he still had an open mind
on injecting facilities.

The opposition would continue to consult with interested people in the
community and make a decision on the issue before parliament resumed, Dr
Napthine said.

Dr Penington said he believed opposition members now had a better
understanding of the breadth of issues that had to be tackled and the
long-term nature of the problem.

Major Watters said members were given "a very balanced presentation" of
views but all agreed the focus on injecting rooms was out of proportion to
the broad approach needed to tackle the problem.

Mr Moodie congratulated the Liberal Party for seeking divergent views on the
drug problem and said a long-term and bipartisan approach was needed to make
progress.

In an open letter handed out before the meeting, the mayors of the cities of
Port Phillip and Yarra urged the opposition to consider a limited trial of
injecting rooms, which their communities supported.

Premier Steve Bracks said nine prominent Victorians, including former
governor-general Sir Zelman Cowen, Carlton coach David Parkin and Australian
of the Year Sir Gustav Nossal, publicly backing a trial was a "very
significant development".

Mr Bracks said Victorians wanted to see solutions to the drugs problem, and
"most people are prepared to give it (injecting rooms trial) a go".

Mr Bracks said if Liberal MPs failed to support the experiment they would be
"turning their back on Victorians and turning their back on the hundreds of
Victorians dying from heroin overdoses".