LABOR PASSES FIRST HEROIN INJECTING ROOM LAW

AUSTRALIA would have its first legal heroin shooting gallery as early as
March next year, the NSW Labor Government announced after historic
legislation to create the operating licence passed through parliament
yesterday.

The Government has yet to decide who would operate the injecting room and
was "still considering a number of options in respect to potential licences
of that trial", Special Minister of State John Della Bosca said.

"The starting date would be probably as late as April next year, but
potentially as early as March," he said.

The shooting gallery in Sydney's Kings Cross would be a trial only, Mr
Della Bosca emphasised.

He refused to reveal who apart from the University of NSW was being
considered to run the injecting room.

UNSW vice-chancellor John Niland said the university would seek another
meeting with Mr Della Bosca.

"We have now completed the first round of discussions in the university on
the best way of moving forward and I'm hoping to renew our discussions with
the Government in the next week," he said.

The university could have the injecting room ready by March next year, he
said.

"We would certainly be up and running for whatever role the university
would play," he said.

The project has been mired in controversy since the proposed operators, the
Sisters of Charity at St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst, dropped out of
the project on the orders of the Vatican.

The Drug Summit Bill, allowing the establishment of Australia's first legal
drug injecting room, passed through the NSW Legislative Assembly yesterday
afternoon.

The Opposition voted against it, except for Liberal MP Kevin Rozzoli, who
crossed the floor and called for the establishment of more shooting galleries.

Mr Della Bosca refuted Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski's assertion that
the injecting room would send the wrong message to the community about drug
use.

The trial was sending the message "to those that are in the addiction
cycle: we are not giving up on you", he said.