BEAZLEY BACKS INJECTING ROOMS

The Federal Opposition Leader, Mr Kim Beazley, has backed heroin
injecting rooms for the first time, in a softening of his attitude
towards drugs policy.

After speaking to a Uniting Church congregation in Sydney, Mr Beazley
said he personally supported heroin injecting rooms.

If the Labor Party won government, Mr Beazley said he would support
State Governments moving towards the establishment of supervised
injecting rooms. It made better sense for such facilities to be
organised locally, he said.

The Victorian Labor Government has pledged to trial five injecting
rooms, pending the outcome of an inquiry by the res-pected anti-drugs
campaigner, Professor David Pen-ington.

Meanwhile, the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly has
given approval for a supervised injecting clinic in Canberra, and the
New South Wales Government has also given support to an injecting room.

"I would think that a Commonwealth Government should adopt a
supportive approach," Mr Beazley said. "But a Commonwealth Government
has to do a lot more than that. It's not of itself an answer. It's a
partial answer to one element of the problem," he said.

"I think you have to have a complex response to the scourge of drugs
in our community. You must ensure that those who are the pushers of
these things, the profiteers, not only go to jail but lose all their
assets. You have to do that," he said.

It was crucial to keep addicts alive, to ensure they had a chance to
beat their habit, he said.

Mr Beazley said the attack on drug use involved a range of responses.
A strong Coast Guard and good rehabilitation programs were also
essential, he said.

Support for injecting rooms is not a part of Federal Labor
policy.

Mr Beazley also said he was saddened at a decision not to subsidise
the drug naltrexone for heroin detoxification. "I cannot understand
the continued resistance of the committee associated with the PBS
(Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme). They've done it for alcoholism. They
should do it for heroin users as well," he said.