Victoria’s first sobering-up centre to open in Melbourne’s inner city

Collingwood will be home to Victoria’s first sobering-up centre, which will open just before new public drunkenness laws come into effect.

Victoria’s first sobering-up centre will open in Collingwood, just before new public drunkenness laws come into force in November.

The 20-bed facility will be located at 3 Cambridge St and will support those who are drunk in a public space and help them sober up.

The centre will be run by community health provider cohealth — which was selected by the state government — where trained staff will treat the matter as a medical issue rather than a criminal offence.

It will be integrated with street-based outreach teams and mobile vans across metro Melbourne.

The centre is a new health-led response model following the passing of legislation to decriminalise public drunkenness from November 7.

It’s understood the Collingwood site was chosen after a trial was operated in the City of Yarra.

Deputy chief executive Christopher Turner said the centre would support vulnerable people in the community.

Mr Turner says the centre will decrease the ‘burden’ on emergency services. Picture: Daniel Pockett

“A health-based response to public intoxication keeps people safe, avoids unnecessary contact with police, and creates a safer and more supportive environment for vulnerable members of our community,” he said.

“From disoriented young people who’ve lost their mates late at night to people who’ve had one too many after-work drinks, and people who are homeless and alcohol-affected, our service will be for everyone.

“It will be a great comfort to many people to know that if their loved ones are intoxicated in public there will be a team of health workers to respond and make sure they’re safe.”

The facility will also connect people to alcohol and other drug treatment and specialist services if required.

Mr Turner said the centre would decrease the “burden” on emergency services.

“This new service represents a fundamental shift in the way that we as a community respond to public drunkenness, and will save lives, improve people’s health and reduce the burden on police and other emergency services,” he said.

The move to decriminalise public drunkenness was sparked after the death of Aboriginal woman Tanya Day in 2017.

Additional health-led outreach and sobering services for Aboriginal people will also be established across the state, which was a recommendation handed down in the coronial inquest into Ms Day’s death.

A 20-bed facility will open in Collingwood to support those who are drunk in a public space and help them sober up.

Mental Health Minister Gabrielle Williams said the reforms had been developed alongside health experts, Aboriginal community groups and Ms Day’s family.

“For too long, public drunkenness laws have caused great pain to some of our community’s most vulnerable – these health-led reforms strike the right balance between supporting people who are intoxicated and community safety,” Ms Williams said.

“There is still a lot of work to do, but there is no doubt these services will save lives – by listening directly to the Aboriginal community we will be able to deliver culturally appropriate services focused on care, not punishment.”

Ms Williams said she was confident the facility would be up and running by the time the new laws come into effect.

She said more sobering up centres will be rolled out across the state including regional Victoria, but wouldn’t reveal how many were being planned.

“I’m very confident that we will be ready to decriminalise in November this year,” she said.

“We will have more to say about that statewide coverage and our partners in doing that in due course.”

The Collingwood location was chosen because of demand in the local area, its proximity to the CBD and St Vincent’s Hospital, and public transport connections.

Construction on the centre is set to begin soon.

It’s unclear yet whether people under 18 will be able to use the facilities.

Victoria’s police union boss Wayne Gatt said the facility was only a solution for the area of Collingwood.

“It helps us with some of the people in the CBD and the Collingwood area,” he said.

“But the question remains, what will we do with people in Footscray, Sunshine, Pakenham, Mildura and Shepparton?

“This is a state police force and a state issue and what we have is a Collingwood solution.

“How these centres are set-up become a matter for the government and indeed a matter for the operators of these centres, the responsibility is handed to them as well as the risks.”

Mr Gatt said a major concern was the consent-base model of the centre.

“People that agree to go to a sobering-up centre have never been our concern and we have never been worried by them,” he said.

“To some extent, they are not an issue to us at all. It’s the people that say no.

“This is a consent-base model ... the sad thing is the people we are dealing with in policing are not consenting to going anywhere.”

Victoria’s police union boss Wayne Gatt says the facility is only a solution for the area of Collingwood. Picture: AAP

Mr Gatt described the planning for the new legislation as a “stuff up”.

“The planning for this reform could be described as nothing less than a stuff up,” he said.

“For years and years the government has been planning this.

“They have had years to get ready for it and it’s 95 days out and they are announcing something ... that the provider only found out about last night.

“That doesn’t fill you will confidence that the planning is in place for the broader state rollout and those will be the questions going through the minds of my members.”

Mr Gatt said he was yet to hear from Premier Daniel Andrews about police officer liability.

“I’ve expressively written to the Premier about the risks to my members in terms of their liability should they have to move on and leave somebody in the community,” he said.

“I’m yet to receive a response.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the government needed to explain how the sobering up centre would work.

“I don’t know how someone who is intoxicated in Frankston or Shepparton are going to get to Collingwood and how it’s going to help them,” she said.

“This government again comes up with these ideas but there’s no comprehensive plan.”

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the impact of the centre on its operations and members would be assessed.

“Victoria Police continues to work through these changes with other agencies, including the Department of Health who are the lead agency,” she said.

“As part of this, we will be assessing the impact of these changes upon our operations and members.

“The location of the sobering-up centre is a matter for the government.”