VIC: Oppn announces where five shooting galleries will go

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-1999
VIC: Oppn announces where five shooting galleries will go

MELBOURNE, Aug 30 AAP - The Victorian Opposition today announced the planned locations for
five safe injecting rooms it has promised if elected at the September 18 state poll.

Opposition leader Steve Bracks said the rooms would be built in the CBD, inner-city
Collingwood, bayside St Kilda, Footscray in Melbourne's west and Springvale in the
outer-eastern suburbs, all high drug-use areas.

Mr Bracks said they would only go ahead with the majority approval from the local councils
and shown community support.

He said three of the five mayors already were in favour of the idea.

"If you take it from the council's point of view, they want to get drugs off the street; I
want to get drugs off the street," he told radio 3AW.

"The reality is we have injecting facilities around Melbourne, on street corners, in
playgrounds, in parks and I just find that abhorrent."

The safe injecting houses were part of a two-pronged attack on drugs, coupled with a
greater police presence.

Mr Bracks criticised the Kennett government's decision to rule out safe injecting houses in
the lead-up to the election and said he would not be surprised if there was a change of policy
after the election.

AAP kmh/jlw/bwl/br

KEYWORD: POLLVIC DRUGS

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