ROW OVER NEEDLE BINS ON PLANES

Ansett has flown into a storm of protest after becoming the first
airline in the world to fit aircraft with syringe disposal bins for
drug users.

Major Brian Watters, head of drug rehabilitation for the Salvation
Army and also chairman of John Howard's hand-picked National Council
on Drugs, said yesterday the bins would send a clear message to drug
users.

``I can't believe they would do anything that would send out a message
that it's acceptable to be using drugs on flights.''

But Ansett has defended the move and said it would improve safety for
its staff. And Diabetes Australia's manager of educational services,
Ms Bernadette Lowther, said diabetics across Australia would support
the initiative. ``People carry syringes or sharps for a whole range of
reasons, not all of them illegal, therefore we certainly support
having a facility that will safeguard people who handle them.''

Several planes have already been equipped with the bins and Ansett
plans to fit out the rest of its 69 domestic and international crafts
by the end of the year.

Ansett cleaning staff are being trained in the correct way to empty
the bins.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry