LEGISLATION TO PAVE WAY FOR INJECTING ROOMS INTRODUCED

Legislation that could decide whether supervised injecting rooms for heroin
addicts open in Melbourne was introduced by the Bracks government in state
parliament today.

The legislation, to be debated in the spring session, would, if passed, give
parliament control over supervised injecting centres proposed for five
municipalities.

The Injecting Facilities Bill provides for supervised centres to be tried
out for 18 months in the municipalities of Melbourne, Port Phillip, Yarra,
Greater Dandenong and Maribyrnong.

Health Minister John Thwaites said the new legislation aimed to fight the
heroin scourge which killed 359 people in Victoria last year.

'Drug abuse is without doubt one of the major challenges facing the
community today,' Mr Thwaites told parliament.

'It is a challenge that can only be met by a careful and thorough reform of
our current social, health and law enforcement agencies.'

The new legislation allows for a number of supervised injecting centres to
be established in each municipality, provided the municipality endorses it.

The Health Minister will enter into a service agreement with each operator
of the injecting centre and will have the responsibility of selecting the
operating agencies.

The minister would also have the final responsibility of selecting the sites
for the injecting rooms, which would have to be located away from
kindergartens, schools or other sensitive public facilities.

Each service agreement must meet criteria set out in a statewide framework,
but the details of each agreement may differ.

Each agreement will be presented to parliament for approval, with both the
lower and upper houses given the right to veto them.

A trial cannot proceed until both houses of parliament accept the plans for
it.

'This ensures that the parliament will have oversight and control over the
detailed operating agreements of each trial site,' Mr Thwaites told MPs.

The operational hours of each injecting room may vary according to each
site.

Only heroin users over 18 years may use the facilities, and it will up to
the operators to establish their age.

Each facility may also decide to target a particular type of heroin user,
such as those who are homeless.

Possession of heroin outside the injecting centres will be illegal.

But police will be allowed discretion on whether or not to charge any person
found with small amounts of drugs near the facility and assess whether or
not that person is a potential user of the facility.

A person possessing a larger quantity of drugs than needed for personal use
was likely to be charged.

Police would patrol near the injecting rooms to stop a so-called 'honey pot'
effect - in which dealers and others are drawn to the site - developing.

A medical supervisor employed by the Health Department would oversee the
medical side of the centres and monitor compliance with the service
agreement.

The government is hoping that the parliamentary control over the agreements
for the injecting rooms will encourage Opposition MPs to support the
legislation.

Support from the Opposition is required to get the legislation through
parliament's upper house, where the Liberal and National parties dominate.

The legislation is expected to be debated in the Spring session of
parliament.

If the legislation is approved and service agreements entered into, trials
could commence early next year.