TAKEOVER THREAT TO CROSS SAFE DRUG ROOM

A newly formed Kings Cross community group has signalled it wants to take
over the controversial heroin injecting room from the Uniting Church.

The move, led by the Kings Cross Chamber of Commerce, will be unveiled this
morning and is likely to further delay the 18-month trial of a legal
injecting room, recommended by the Drug Summit nearly a year ago.

Led by a barrister and unsuccessful candidate for electorate of Bligh, Mr
Malcolm Duncan, the Kings Cross Community Coalition (KCCC) will include
representatives of the chamber, the 2011 Residents' Association, the Kings
Cross Licensing Accord and the Kings Cross Community and Information Centre.

The KCCC will apply to the Government to operate the injecting room and ask
the Salvation Army - another opponent of the injecting room trial - to
provide rehabilitation and counselling services.

Until now, the Uniting Church has been the only contender for the trial and
has leased a former pinball parlour at 66 Darlinghurst Road - with the State
Government's in-principle approval - for the facility.

The KCCC claims the level of community support required by the Government
has not been harnessed by the Uniting Church, the site is unsuitable and the
group has now "identified a number of potentially suitable sites" it
believes are preferable.

"Unlike the Uniting Church, the KCCC is willing to address all community
concerns regarding the injecting centre," it said in a statement. "We will
approach the implementation of the MSIC [medically supervised injecting
centre] with the duel [sic] aim of improving the health and welfare of
injecting drug users and achieving substantial and beneficial change aimed
at reducing the current drug problem in the Kings Cross area."

But in Parliament yesterday, the Special Minister of State, Mr Della Bosca,
made clear that the Uniting Church had the Government's support.

He said he was reassured by the number of letters in support of the centre
and the efforts being made by the Uniting Church to establish the service.
"There is a lot of support for this process and the Government, too,
strongly supports the work being undertaken by the Uniting Church."

The KCCC's move comes on the eve of a seminar organised by Sydney
University's Institute of Criminology which will assess the effectiveness of
the Drug Summit 12 months on.

Speakers include Mr Nicholas Cowdery, QC, Director of Public Prosecutions,
Ms Annie Madden, executive officer, Australian I.V. League, and Dr Alex
Wodak, director, Alcohol and Drug Service, St Vincent's Hospital.