PUSH FOR SECOND CITY INJECTING ROOM

A second welfare agency last night indicated that it hoped to establish a
supervised injecting facility in Melbourne after a series of talks with the
State Government.

Hanover Welfare Services said it had discussed the possibility of using its
crisis accommodation centre at Southbank as a "prime site of intervention"
in the fight against injecting drug use among Melbourne's homeless people.

The chief executive of Hanover, Tony Nicholson, said that the discussions
had included a range of harm-minimisation strategies that could be
implemented at Southbank to help prevent overdoses among resident addicts.

Wesley Mission Melbourne, another of the city's leading welfare service
providers, has already set up a supervised injecting facility in the centre
of the city but, like Hanover, is awaiting legislation and community support
before going ahead. The legislation providing for the opening of supervised
injecting facilities in Victoria goes before State Parliament today.

Mr Nicholson said the government had shown a willingness to boost resources
for heroin treatment and harm-minimisation services for homeless people. He
hoped that this assistance would eventually translate into more supervised
injecting facilities.

"What we have been talking to the State Government about is firstly,
introducing much better resources and harm-minimisation practices amongst
our residents ... if we can incorporate a capacity for supervised injecting
within that framework, that would be ideal," Mr Nicholson said.

He stressed, though, that his most recent discussions with the Government
had not dealt specifically with establishing supervised injecting
facilities.

He said research had shown that more than half of injecting drug users on
the street were homeless and he supported any measures that would save their
lives or lead them out of drug addiction and homelessness.

Government sources confirmed yesterday that Southbank was a possible site
for a second facility in the central business district, but it was likely to
be limited to residents of Hanover.

The government will today unveil its legislation setting out how supervised
injecting facilities will be required to operate across five municipalities.

Health Minister John Thwaites will tell Parliament that the facilities will
be limited to adults, and that more than one facility will potentially be
able to operate in each municipality.

The legislation will set out a detailed statewide framework that will be
need to be met by the operators of the proposed facilities.

But many specific arrangements will be decided by the planning round tables
established by local councils.