Councillors consider legal action against state government over injection room site dilemma
The state government is in danger of being sued if its contentious plan for a drug injecting room in the CBD is forced on Victorians.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
City of Melbourne councillors will consider legal action against the state government if contentious plans for a drug injecting room in the CBD are forced on Victorians.
As concerns about a medically supervised injecting room in the city grow, councillors will next week vote on blocking the move and consider options for suing the state government.
A motion objecting to an injecting room anywhere in the CBD, including the Flinders Street site that appears most likely, will be put to a meeting of councillors on Tuesday.
Councillors will also consider seeking financial compensation from the government for business owners and residents impacted by the injecting room.
The motion, tabled by councillor Roshena Campbell, recommends council obtain legal advice “and considers any available legal action’’ to defend objecting to the facility.
“I believe the City of Melbourne must be a champion for the residents and businesses who are having this imposed on them by the state government,’’ she told the Herald Sun.
“It will mean more syringes and drug deals on our streets.’’
If the government “proceeds to open’’ the motion proposes “an independent review’’ of the impacts of the North Richmond injecting room on businesses, residents, children, safety and amenity “and publishes it publicly”.
“Based on … North Richmond, this will turn one of the CBD’s key tourist precincts into an open-air drug supermarket,’’ Mrs Campbell said.
City of Melbourne management is expected to submit a different motion at the meeting. It will support an injecting room in the city “conditional on it being … located within a comprehensive health service (eg, GP, podiatrists, drug and alcohol service specialists)”.
It will call for government assurances the location of an injecting room would have “no impact on amenity to surrounding residents, businesses and other visitors”.
But several councillors will support the motion against the injecting room and seek advice on planning permits it required, predicting it would have a “significant impact’’ on the city’s COVID-19 recovery.
The motion calls on the government to provide clarification on financial and security resources and measures it will “put in place for the safety of people within the area”.
It also seeks government advice on “the level of compensation to be provided to ratepayers including business and property owners affected by the location of the MSIR in their proximity”.
Councillor Philip Le Liu said a city injecting room would be “the final nail in the coffin for city recovery”.
“And everything we have done in the past and will do in the future to activate the city will be for nothing,’’ he said.
“Council needs to fight this through every option available, including legal … We talk about the MSIR saving lives but what about the lives of the business/property owners and residents who will be affected by this? Where are their rights?’’
Councillor and CBD business owner Jason Chang would also vote against the injecting room.
“There are other issues I think we need to focus on right now to stimulate our economy, and it would definitely damage business in that area,’’ he said.
The Herald Sun revealed on Monday Flinders Street had emerged as the preferred location for a city injecting room.
It is believed the government has been in talks to buy the former Yooralla building opposite Flinders Street Station for more than $45m.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp was not available for comment.
But this week she voiced concerns about the potential Flinders Street injecting room site and criticised state government failures over the existing Richmond centre.
Costello slams Dan’s ‘moronic’ Covid bans, treaty plans
Former Nine chairman and Liberal treasurer Peter Costello has slammed Dan Andrews’ Labor regime for its “moronic” Covid bans and other initiatives, saying it was the “most incompetent government” he’d seen.
Porter Davis co-founder selling $20m+ mansion
The co-founder of home builder Porter Davis, who left the firm long before its collapse, is selling an Armadale home built on the site of the neighbour’s tennis court.