MOORE UNDER FIRE OVER SHOOTING GALLERY

ACT Health Minister Michael Moore came under fire from Independent Paul
Osborne yesterday as he delivered a last-minute compromise to keep the
proposed ACT injecting room on track.

Mr Osborne, a strong opponent of the proposal, said Mr Moore should be
concentrating his energies on his portfolio instead of setting up "
shooting galleries" .

A $5.7 million operating loss at the Canberra Hospital in the first quarter
of this financial year showed that Mr Moore was 'mismanaging' his portfolio.

"I just wish he'd devote as much attention to fixing that up as he does to
shooting galleries," Mr Osborne said.

"I have no faith in the way that health is going and I think it's fast
approaching the time when the Assembly may have to act."

Documents tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday revealed the $5.7 million
operating loss - a $2.2 million overrun from the expected $3.5 million loss.

Hospital sources said the quarterly figures were not reliable because the
hospital budget fluctuated greatly throughout the year.

Mr Moore said he was still hoping to stay within the budgeted operating
loss this financial year.

"It needs to be put into perspective - $2 million in a $230 million budget
is just less than 1 per cent variation in the budget," he said.

"While it's not good enough it's better than most people do in their
domestic budget."

"Paul has allowed his moral view of a supervised injecting place to cloud
his judgment."

"My job with health services across the territory is to reduce morbidity
and mortality. This applied equally to a safe injecting room as well as a
hospital."

Mr Osborne's attack on Mr Moore follows a threat from the Australian
Federal Police Association to prosecute heroin users inside the proposed
facility.

"It's irresponsible of the police union to run this line," Mr Moore said.

"We are looking very carefully at all of these issues and we believe there
is no weight in the argument that they are putting."

"The worst part about the approach taken by the police union is they seem
to want to focus police resources in an area where they can have no impact."

Mr Moore met Labor Leader Jon Stanhope yesterday and agreed to remove a
late provision which had the effect of decriminalising heroin use inside
the facility for the purposes of the two-year trial.

Mr Moore has now returned to the original approach of a protocol between
the Attorney-General and the Director of Public Prosecutions which would
prevent prosecution.

"I know it's not the preferred method of the police and the DPP but my
priority is to have a supervised injecting room" Mr Moore said. "The
protocol method will work and delivering on policy is almost invariably
about compromise."

Meanwhile, Independent Dave Rugendyke renewed his call for Mr Stanhope to
withdraw his support for the injecting room proposal.

Mr Stanhope in turn said Mr Rugendyke - a former policeman - was misleading
the community by saying that half a gram of heroin was 2.5 times the
trafficable amount (2g is the trafficable amount).

Mr Stanhope said the meeting with Mr Moore was very productive and the
Health Minister and the Labor Party were now focused on the real issue - '
the need to get the trial up and running' .