SETBACK FOR INJECTING ROOMS TRIAL

The Victorian Government's drug strategy was dealt another blow
yesterday when one of five areas chosen for a trial of supervised
heroin injecting centres signalled it might not go ahead with the plan.

The City of Greater Dandenong, one of the worst areas in the state for
heroin-related deaths, is reconsidering its role because of local
opposition to injecting rooms.

But the head of the government's Drug Policy Expert Committee
yesterday challenged the basis of the council's research on local attitudes.

Dr David Penington said Dandenong's community consultation had been
undermined by council officers setting up unnecessary confrontation at
a public forum on May 12.

According to Dandenong's ALP-aligned Mayor Angela Long, surveys from
that public meeting, and meetings since, indicated strong local
opposition to the trial.

This is despite 226 heroin overdoses in Greater Dandenong in the last
year, and 26 fatalities in less than two years.

"We have to take into account what the community has told us. There is
an overwhelming objection to the injecting facility," Cr Long said.

The council's consultation program in the past few weeks has directly
contacted about 1000 people, which city chief executive Warwick Heine
conceded was a small proportion of its 135,000 population.

But he said there was no divergence of opinion. "It's running at 90per
cent opposed," he said.

The city's stance has to be confirmed by the full council, which is
due to meet on Monday.

Dr Penington said he had rejected an approach to debate anti-injecting
rooms campaigner Peter Faris at the Greater Dandenong public forum,
but he had been ambushed when a "debate" was announced.

Dr Penington's presentation was disrupted by loud protests and
abuse.

During the course of the meeting hecklers appeared to be given free
rein while Dr Penington was speaking.

Dr Penington yesterday said the confrontation appeared to be
contrived. He said the method recommended by the Drug Policy Expert
Committee was that consultation would now be just beginning.

"They are not being asked to accept or reject at this stage," he said.
"They were simply being asked to engage in discussions. If they decide
they don't want to be part of it, well so be it."

Two inner suburban municipalities, Port Phillip and Yarra, support a
trial, but no locations have been proposed for injecting centres.
Melbourne and Maribyrnong have yet to decide whether they support a
trial.

Maribyrnong Mayor Gerard White said the council's consultation
program, which also featured an unruly public meeting, would run for
several months more. "We had 400 people turn up that night. We have
60,000 residents," Cr White said. "I am not clear as to whether that
was representative or not."

Health Minister John Thwaites said the trial could proceed with fewer
than five centres. "It's preferable in any trial to have a greater
number, but even if you had one you can have a trial based around the
success or failure of that," Mr Thwaites said.

"This was always going to be the difficult part ... supervised
injecting facilities was always a controversial issue."