Melbourne safe injecting room: Victorian government buys former Yooralla building

The Victorian government should stop taking the community “as fools” and own up to the real reason why it bought the Flinders St building, the police association says.

The state government has bought the Flinders Street building likely to house Melbourne’s second safe injecting room but insists “multiple sites” are still being considered for the facility.

The former Yooralla building — opposite Flinders Street Station — had been listed for sale at $45m-plus. The government revealing they paid $40.3m to secure it.

The move comes despite fears an injecting room at the location, 244-248 Flinders Street, would destroy nearby businesses and increase crime.

Health Minister Martin Foley denied they had purchased the site for the specific purpose of the injecting room.

“What I’d say is that no decision has been made yet as to the location of the supervised injecting facility,” he said.

“We are looking at a process of a number of sites and this is a site that is in a really important strategic location.

“Whatever use the Victorian government may put it to, health, education, housing, social support, it is a really good buy for the people of Victoria.”

The former Yooralla building on Flinders Street has been flagged as the likely site for a new safe injecting facility. Picture: Mark Stewart

But Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt likened the government’s stance to a TV comedy.

“This appears to have been ripped from the scripts of Utopia,’’ he said.

“Does the government expect the community to believe, after talking about a heroin hotspot on Flinders Street and saying it wanted to establish an injecting room in the CBD, that it has now purchased a building in that hotspot, but hasn’t decided what it’s going to use it for?”

“They’ve got to stop taking the community for fools.

“If the government is going to press ahead with the injecting room, despite the compelling opposition from residents, traders, police and others, at least have enough respect for the community to be honest about your intentions.”

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt hit out at the government. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Crosling

Melbourne City Council last month backed a safe injecting room for the municipality.

But it’s understood the Yooralla building site would be unlikely to gain widespread council support.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said she held reservations about the likely Flinders Street site.

“Last year, I opposed a proposal to put a medically supervised injecting centre near QVM because it was too close to such an iconic tourist destination, its proximity to vulnerable residents and the impact on local traders,” Ms Capp said.

“There are many of the same issues with 244 Flinders Street and I share many of the concerns of local residents and traders.

“We acknowledge that medically supervised injecting services save lives but any facility in the City of Melbourne can’t cost livelihoods.”

The state government has purchased the former Yooralla building amid fears from local traders it will be used to house a safe injecting room. Picture: Mark Stewart

Health Minister Martin Foley

The Herald Sun last month revealed Flinders Street had emerged as the likely site for the centre despite Victoria Police not having been consulted about the location. The police union savaged the proposal and called the consultation process “underhanded”.

Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt has repeatedly cautioned against the expansion of injecting rooms given the “clearly visible” negative impacts of the first facility at North Richmond.

The state government believes there is a growing need for a supervised injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD with around one person a month dying from a heroin overdose.

A quarter of all heroin overdoses in the city are within 250m of the intersection of Elizabeth and Flinders streets.

The former Yooralla building was marketed as being in a “high profile location”.

The site has planning approval for a 13-storey, 193 room luxury hotel.

Zoning allowances permit its use for retail, residential, education and office space.

Developer Moremas Land bought the building in 2016 for $23.8m.

Former Victoria Police chief commissioner Ken Lay is leading the site selection process.