Opinions divided over Australia’s first ice safe room coming to Liverpool

THE Liverpool community has weighed in on the topic of becoming Australia’s first neighbourhood with an ice safe room and opinions were divided.

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THE Liverpool community weighed in on becoming Australia’s first neighbourhood with an ice safe room.

Opinions were mixed, but the man behind it, Matt Noffs, said it was a good starting point.

Many people questioned the location of such a facility.

Mr Noffs, the chief executive of the Ted Noffs Foundation, said he is keen to connect with the local health district to get the room up and running.

“I’m definitely keen to work with a hospital, plus the police and government,” he said.

“At the moment, police are left to hold down these people (ice users) until they’re treated.

“The evidence is overwhelming ... safe rooms do help.

Ted Noffs Foundation chief executive Matt Noffs. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

“I’m not for condoning ice smoking but we need to treat every person with dignity.”

Liverpool Council deputy mayor Tony Hadchiti said he was concerned about the safe room in a hospital environment.

“I’m sure you’ve all seen what happens to people and their frame of mind when they’re high on ice,” he said.

“(Imagine they) Walk through that hospital, go crazy putting all the nurses and doctors there trying to save other people’s lives at risk.

“Imagine one of those people runs through the corridors and rips out a machine that could kill somebody.”

Liverpool Council deputy mayor Tony Hadchiti.

Business man George Khoury said he was concerned that vacant shops around Liverpoo’s methadone clinic and the anti-social behaviour on the streets would only increase with an ice safe room.

“Along a 150m stretch of Railway St, there are four vacant shops out of 20,” he said.

“There’s reason for that — it’s the methadone clinic.”

Minute Man Press’ Adam Anderson said he’d been in Liverpool for two years and had noticed an increase in people coming into his store asking for money or help.

“You almost always see someone doing a deal in the street,” he said.

“I’m at the stage where I need to lock up the shop or move out of the area.”

Melanie Gibbons has created a petition against the creation of Australia’s first ice safe room in Liverpool.

Alex Wodak is one of the people behind the Kings Cross injecting room starting. He said if the drug problem was noticeable and “spilling” onto the street, an ice safe room would help.

He said a safe room encouraged users to get help, improve their health and social wellbeing.

“I went to the world’s first approved drug consumption facility in the 1990.” The person who ran the centre said something that has stuck with Dr Wodak.

He said “this is not the solution, but it is part of the solution”.

Dr Wodak said a safe room was only successful if they were put in places where they are needed and the community wants it too.

Alex Wodak said if the drug problem was spilling into the community, a safe room would help.