FINAL DECISION ON INJECTION ROOMS SOON

As pressure mounts for the trial of a safe injecting house, the Premier, Mr
Jeff Kennett, is expected to announce today or tomorrow if such a facility
for heroin users will be allowed in Victoria.

The State Opposition yesterday attacked what it described as the
Government's failure to address the root causes of the drug problem, and
said cuts to education budgets had left students without a counselling
support network.

The Opposition Leader, Mr Steve Bracks, said youth unemployment and a drop
in school retention rates from 78per cent to 69 percent since the Kennett
Government came to office had exacerbated the growing drug problem.

In March alone, he said, ambulance officers had attended 586 heroin
overdoses - a 156 percent increase on last June's total of 229.

At that rate, he said, ambulances would attend more than 6000 heroin
overdoses this year. Mr Bracks, who supports a legalised heroin trial, said
a safe house staffed by medically trained officers would provide a support
network for people trying to get off drugs.

And the chairman of Odyssey House, Mr Nigel Dick, said a safe injecting room
could save lives and should be tried. "There is no such thing as safe
injecting," he said. "But if injecting is being done in so many thousands of
doorways and back alleys anyway, then a controlled injecting house is one
option we must look at."

The cities of Yarra and Greater Dandenong both expressed tentative support
for a safe injecting room yesterday. Earlier this year, Open Family
attempted to establish a safe injecting house in Footscray but abandoned the
plan when police advised it would be illegal. State Government approval
would be required before the project could proceed.

Mr Kennett, who is not opposed to safe injecting facilities monitored by
medical staff, has concerns about the potential legal repercussions for
operators of such a centre. Appropriate legislation would have to be
introduced to ensure operators could not be sued by the family of a user if
there was a death in a facility, he has said.

Last week he promised to review Victoria's stance on safe injecting rooms
after announcements from the New South Wales and ACT governments that each
would test such a facility. A spokesman, Mr Steve Murphy, said Mr Kennett
had discussed the issue with the Health Minister, Mr Rob Knowles, and a
decision could be expected midweek.