City of Melbourne councillors to debate motion on supervised injecting room

The heat is on the state government to find a new location for a supervised injection room as City of Melbourne councillors push to change the proposed site near Queen Victoria Market, saying traders and local residents are fearful.

Pressure is mounting on the state government to dump its proposal for a second supervised injecting room near Queen Victoria Market.

It comes as a Yarra Council report said that some residents near the existing injecting facility in North Richmond had been left with emotional and psychological trauma amid poor community engagement.

The state government’s preferred injecting room site at 53 Victoria St, near Queen Victoria Market.

In a blow for the government, the City of Melbourne is moving to request that 35 Victoria St be removed as the preferred site for another injecting facility.

A motion put by Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood and seconded by Lord Mayor Sally Capp said that the location was inappropriate due to its proximity to Queen Victoria Market and affordable housing residents.

“Community distress arising from this site continuing to be regarded by the state government as an option grows and is causing avoidable anxiety,” it said.

The motion, to be debated by councillors next Tuesday, bolsters the council’s concerns about the Victoria St site and turns up the heat on the government to look for other options.

Mr Wood had wanted the council to reject the Victoria St site at a previous council meeting, but he was defeated when the Lord Mayor and some other councillors instead backed an alternative motion that called for ongoing discussions with the government.

Next week’s motion also reveals that the council has a 299-year lease over the building which would house the new injecting room.

Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said that former Victorian police commissioner Ken Lay was leading the project for a second supervised injecting room in the City of Melbourne.

A Yarra Council report says some residents near the existing injecting facility in North Richmond have been left with emotional and psychological trauma. Picture: Tony Gough

“Mr Lay will work with health and drug reform experts to analyse data and evidence on drug harms within the City of Melbourne, and oversee a public community engagement process, seeking the views of all interested parties on the Government’s preferred site.”

“As we’ve previously said, if in our work consulting with the local council, they locate a different site that also meets the criteria set by the panel, then we’ll remain open to that,” he said.

A spokesman for Cohealth Central City, which would run the Victoria St facility, said the organisation was committed to working constructively and collaboratively with all stakeholders regarding the location of the safe injecting facility in the City of Melbourne.

“Cohealth’s Central City service already provides a range of health and wellbeing services, and the facility is well placed to incorporate a safe injecting service into the existing range of community services provided,” he said..

Cohealth is one of the state’s biggest community health organisations with almost 1000 staff.

Meanwhile, a new City of Yarra report is scathing over the lack of proper community engagement involving the North Richmond injecting facility amid conflicting views over its operations and concern about drug use in the area.

“Some community members have expressed anger, frustration and range of other

deeply emotive responses to the situation, both to the relevant authorities and towards each

other as residents,” it said.

“In some cases residents have spoken of the emotional and psychological trauma they have experienced.”

Police patrol the North Richmond safe injecting room area.

The council report, to be considered at a meeting on Tuesday, supports a “peacemaking project” by the Neighbourhood Justice Centre to help soothe tensions.

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