Premier Daniel Andrews defiant as heroin trade and use continues in North Richmond

PREMIER Daniel Andrews continues to defy advice of drug support workers, coroners and medical groups to oppose a supervised injection room as addicts continue to shoot up.

PREMIER Daniel Andrews continues to defy the advice of drug support workers, coroners, medical groups, residents and even heroin users to oppose a supervised injecting room in North Richmond.

As the street drug trade continued unabated on Thursday, Mr Andrews said the cheapness and easy availability of heroin was of concern, but he ruled out supporting a trial of a safe injecting room.

“I have no intention to change our policy on this, but I do note there is a parliamentary inquiry on this under way and I look forward to that report,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews continues to oppose a supervised injecting room. Picture: AAP/Joe Castro)

His comments follow Herald Sun revelations of the scale of the drug scourge gripping Melbourne. Cheap and plentiful supply is driving heroin abuse that killed 190 Victorians last year.

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Planning Minister Richard Wynne, who holds the seat of Richmond by about 800 votes, again refused to comment on the problem scarring his neighbourhood.

Greens Upper House MP Colleen Hartland said her party would pursue Mr Wynne over the issue, and urged the Premier to act.

“We are talking about a health issue. We are talking about harm minimisation — 33 people died in this area (last year) from heroin overdose.

“Do we really want to continue that?’’ Ms Hartland said.

Drug deals continued on Victoria St on Thursday. By mid-afternoon, users were shooting up near the housing towers on Elizabeth St.

A man uses a needle at the North Richmond commission flats on Thursday. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The addicts who spoke to the Herald Sun on Thursday said they supported supervised injecting rooms for the public’s safety as much as their own.

Thomas (not his real name) said he came in from the northern suburbs for a hit and bought a $25 cap at the North Richmond train station ramp.

His mate said he had been using for 25 years and was now injecting into veins in his groin.

Leading medical groups — the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Drug and Alcohol Nurses Australasia — affirmed their support for a trial of a drug injecting room.

Supporters point to the success of the safe injecting room in King Cross, Sydney over 16 years, as evidence of the effectiveness of harm minimisation.

Dr Marianne Jauncey, the medical director of the Uniting medically supervised injecting centre in Sydney, said: “There is clear evidence, not just from Sydney but around the world, that this approach works.’’

Figures from the Uniting service showed that it had seen more than 965,000 injections and managed 6089 overdoses without a death.

Two Victorian coroners’ reports have now recommended the introduction of safe injecting rooms.

A private member’s Bill by Sex Party MLC Fiona Patten led to the formation of an Upper House committee to investigate safe injecting rooms.

But state Opposition mental health spokeswoman Emma Kealy said Victorians did not want “government-sanctioned drug ghettos popping up around our suburbs”.

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