CLOSE VOTE LIKELY ON INJECTING ROOM TRIAL

The Carr Government's legislation for a supervised heroin injecting room
trial faces a close vote in the Upper House after the Independent MP Mr
Richard Jones vowed yesterday to oppose it because "it's so weak I'd rather
not have it at all".

It raises the prospect of the Kings Cross trial, urged by the Drug Summit,
being rejected by an alliance of conservative MPs who think it too radical
and radical MPs who think it too conservative.

Mr Jones told the Attorney-General, Mr Shaw, on Wednesday he would vote
with the Coalition to oppose the 18-month trial, to be conducted by St
Vincent's Sisters of Mercy, because "it's so weak it's not worth anything
anyway".

"It's set up for failure; doomed from the start," Mr Jones said yesterday.
He said he had expected the Government's drug law package "automatically"
would include removal of jail penalties for possession or use of small
amounts of marijuana, but this had been left out.If the Coalition votes
against the trial, the Government will need six of the 13 crossbench MPs
who control the Upper House balance of power.

It has support of the Greens' Mr Ian Cohen and Ms Lee Rhiannon, the
Democrat Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans and Mr Peter Breen, of Reform the
Legal System Party. Mr Alan Corbett, of Better Future for Our Children,
said he was a "possible supporter".

The best prospects for a sixth crossbencher appear to be Unity's Dr Peter
Wong and the Independent Mrs Helen Sham-Ho. Their positions are not known.

Mr Shaw is expected to introduce the legislation in about two weeks.

Mr Breen said yesterday Mr Jones's attitude was "a bit like voting no on
the republic because you want direct election of a president". "It's better
to have imperfect controls than none at all."Mr Corbett said he was
"sympathetic" to safe injecting rooms. "My concern is it needs to be a
proper trial. We'll see whether it's a genuine trial or a token one."

Dr Chesterfield-Evans said the planned trial was "a gutless piece of
tokenism. But we don't have any choice but to applaud every time they go
forward a tenth of an inch."

Mr Cohen said: "Lee [Rhiannon] and I agree that the trial should go ahead.
It's a significant opportunity to assess impacts, costs - financial and
social - and benefits."