CARR BACKS VOTE ON INJECTING ROOMS

SYDNEY: NSW came closer last night to becoming the first state in the
country to hold a trial of legal "shooting galleries" when Premier Bob
Carr gave his strongest support yet for the proposal.

Delegates at a drug summit voted last night in favour of a resolution
that says the NSW Government should not veto proposals from
non-government organisations for a trial of safe injecting rooms.

Mr Carr, a long-time opponent of "shooting galleries", was an
unexpected supporter when he told the NSW drug summit he wanted the
Government to examine a plan to allow the facilities to be established
by non-government organisations.

"This is a matter that's got to be faced up to," he
said.

"If there are activities taking place in the parks and in the back
lanes that the community wants to deal with in a better fashion, then
we'll explore the option you've put to us for dealing with it in a
better fashion."

Two years ago the Premier refused to accept shooting galleries when
the Wood Royal commission into police corruption suggested their
establishment.

"I speak as someone whose repugnance for the whole business of
injecting addictive poisons into people's bodies as repulsive as
anything I can contemplate," Mr Carr said.

Mr Carr's younger brother Gregory died of a heroin overdose in the
early 1980s aged 28 after lying comatose in a hospice for almost a
year.

He said the last thing his Government would do was make a decision
that would make the situation worse for children on the streets.

"I would want to consider over the next six weeks the proposal set out
in [Item] 3.15 rather than what's indicated in a range of amendments
set out before you," he said.

The final resolution was slightly different from a preliminary
proposal agreed to by Attorney-General Jeff Shaw earlier this week,
which would have the Health Department operated the rooms.

Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski voted against the resolution. "I
am still not persuaded that injecting rooms are in fact an appropriate
response to what we are doing with drugs," she said.

Debate is continuing on other controversial proposals, including
decriminalising self-administration of illegal drugs, heroin trials
and removing jail sentences for the use of cannabis.