FOOTSCRAY RESIDENTS WANT TO VOTE ON INJECTING ROOMS

Hundreds of angry inner Melbourne residents have called for a referendum on
supervised drug injecting rooms.

A fiery meeting of some 600 residents of inner-west suburban Footscray last
night overwhelmingly called for a vote on plans to set up injecting rooms in
the area, spokeswoman Carole Demirdjian said.

Legislation that could decide whether supervised injecting rooms for heroin
addicts are established in Melbourne was introduced in the Victorian
parliament on Thursday.

If passed, the laws would give parliament control over supervised injecting
centres proposed for five municipalities.

Supervised centres would be trialled for 18 months in the municipalities of
Melbourne, Port Phillip, Yarra, Greater Dandenong and Maribyrnong.

Ms Demirdjian said the Bracks government had disregarded the views of the
community and residents were threatening to vote the Labor Party out.

"The meeting made a resolve to have a referendum allowing the 47,000 people
in the city of Maribyrnong to have the opportunity to vote on the issue," Ms
Demirdjian said in a statement.

'There's no confidence in the community consultation or survey process
because in the end that's all open to interpretation.

'It depends on the questions asked and probably won't reflect the view of
the people," she said.

Singer and entertainer Normie Rowe had told last night's meeting of his own
battle to prevent his daughter continuing a life of heroin use, Ms
Demirdjian said.

Mr Rowe said that although his daughter - now 18 - was at one stage
injecting heroin on average five times a day, he remained convinced that
injecting rooms would not have helped her achieve her current drug-free
lifestyle.