Daniel Andrews confirms second injecting room site still up in the air

Daniel Andrews says the government still hasn’t locked in a location for the city’s second injecting room as the ongoing delays are blamed for “needless” deaths.

The state’s preferred provider of the second drug injecting room has called on to the Andrews government’s to end the delay to the release of a crucial report.

Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed the government is still yet to land on a site for Melbourne’s second drug injecting room — despite receiving a key report outlining recommendations more than four months ago.

Former top cop Ken Lay provided his report – which was meant to be finalised at the end of 2020 but was pushed back due to changing drug behaviour throughout the pandemic – to Mental Health Minister Gabrielle Williams on June 1 this year.

On Thursday, Mr Andrews said he had been briefed on Mr Lay’s report but no decision on a site had yet been made.

Former top cop Ken Lay provided his report to Mental Health Minister Gabrielle Williams on June 1.

But a spokeswoman for cohealth, the government’s preferred service provider for the site, said ongoing delays were costing lives.

“Every month that we wait for a CBD overdose prevention service, another person dies needlessly,” she said.

“An overdose prevention service in the CBD would move public injecting off the streets and connect people with health services.”

Mr Andrews refused to guarantee the site would be publicly known before the end of this year.

“I’m not certain and I’m not going to speculate,” he said.

“I think what is fair to assume is that finding a suitable location in the CBD is not easy. It’s very hard.

“The conclusion you’re trying to draw assumes that this is particularly easy and you can just put one of these things on any given corner.”

But the constant delay around an announcement has frustrated both groups that campaign for and against the concept.

The Salvation Army headquarters on Bourke St is one of several sites being considered.

The government is considering several sites for a second medically supervised centre, including at the Salvation Army headquarters on Bourke St – across the road from some of Melbourne’s most famous restaurants.

Mr Andrews refused to provide any clarity on the matter on Thursday, and said Cabinet was yet to discuss the report.

‘I’m not going to be making de facto announcements,” he said.

“Cabinet has not considered those matters yet.

“The media does not set the cabinet agenda. I’m the chair of the cabinet. We’ve got a good deal of things to get on with and there are many, many matters.”

Earlier this month, Ms Williams said Mr Lay’s report is “really comprehensive” and the government needed to take time to ensure such a facility could serve its intended purpose.

“Of course we know the very reason that our media and the community are so interested in this is because it is a really complex issue that brings with it lots of different considerations, lots of different opinions, sometimes competing agendas and interests, and we’ve got to do this right,” she said.

Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association acting CEO Scott Drummond said a decision needed to be made.

“While we appreciate the need to provide a considered response which can take time, the preventable harms are dire,” he said.