Premier Jacinta Allan refuses to answer questions on second safe injecting room

Premier Jacinta Allan has refused to answer any questions relating to the proposed second safe injecting room — as traders remain in the dark 1208 days after a review was commissioned.

Premier Jacinta Allan deflected any questions on the topic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

The Allan government has refused to answer questions about the status of a second drug injecting facility in Melbourne’s CBD.

It has now been 1208 days since the government tasked former top cop Ken Lay to undertake a review into a second facility within the City of Melbourne.

Mr Lay’s report was meant to be finalised at the end of 2020 but the government pushed it back blaming the pandemic and changed drug user behaviour.

The updated report was received by the government on June 1 this year, but it is yet to make it public.

Former top cop Ken Lay was tasked with the review. Picture: James Ross

On Tuesday, Premier Jacinta Allan refused to answer a series of questions about whether the location of a new site would be made public this year.

Ms Allan also refused to guarantee that a second facility was even certain to be built.

“I’ve got no announcements to make,” she said.

Asked if the matter had been discussed at cabinet meetings, Ms Allan said: “I don’t discuss what goes on in cabinet.”

The Salvation Army HQ in Bourke St has been floated as a potential site for the second injecting room. Picture: Wayne Taylor

The Lennox St injecting room was the first in the state to open.

It’s unclear whether a second site would require legislation.

With just three parliamentary days left for the year, Ms Allan refused to say whether the injecting room was on the government’s agenda for the final sitting week.

“I’ve got no announcements to make. I think we can stop this dance now and move on to another topic,” she said.