KENNETT SAYS HE WON'T LEGALISE SAFE HOUSES

The Premier, Mr Jeff Kennett, said he would not be legalising safe houses
in the immediate future.

``I'm prepared to consider everything but I'm not prepared to say now -
without having done the consideration and done the research - that we're
going to take legislative action to support anything else,'' he said.

``This is a matter of walking before you run.''

Mr Kennett said he discussed the drug problem at his meeting with the Sinn
Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, this week.

``This drug problem is not unique to Australia and any measure that we're
going to take is not, overnight, going to dramatically change (the
situation),'' Mr Kennett said.

The Premier said safe houses would have to be legislated and warned any
organisation that established one without legislative support would find
themselves ``in a very difficult position''.

Mr Kennett said he was also concerned about the quality of treatment
provided by safe houses.

``You don't want to add to your problem by establishing venues that are
themselves not under the tightest possible clinical controls,'' he said.

Mr Kennett reiterated his opposition to the policy of zero tolerance in
Melbourne and Sydney, saying it would only push the drug problem to areas
on the cities' outskirts, such as Wollongong and Ballarat.

``Zero tolerance actually pushes crime from one place to another and that
is why I'm against it,'' Mr Kennett said.

A 17-year-old girl died from a fatal heroin overdose at a house in Babb
Street, Maidstone, yesterday afternoon.

Ambulance officers were called to the house at midday but the girl was dead
when they arrived.

Drug squad detectives investigating the overdose appealed for public
assistance in tracing the girl's movements on Thursday night.

Police said the girl went to the Royal Hotel in Barkly Street, Footscray,
where she called a taxi about 10 o'clock on Thursday night to take her to
an unknown location. She returned to the hotel 45 minutes later. Police
said she then left the hotel and went to the house in Babb Street.

Police are appealing for the taxi driver who picked up the girl to contact
the drug squad.

A Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokeswoman said there were 11 heroin
overdoses (including the fatal incident) in Melbourne between 7am and 5pm
yesterday. The girl's death brings the heroin toll to 67 for the state for
the year to date, a police spokesman said.