Vic: Footscray residents want poll on injecting rooms

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2000
Vic: Footscray residents want poll on injecting rooms

MELBOURNE, April 19 AAP - Footscray residents opposed to a heroin injecting room called
today for a local poll on whether to set one up in their neighbourhood.

The Victorian government nominated Footscray as one of five suburbs to trial the centres
if it received support from the local councils involved.

The other sites are in Melbourne, Fitzroy, St Kilda and Springvale.

Maribyrnong mayor Gerard White, whose municipality takes in Footscray, was non-committal
about his council's position, pledging to consult the public.

But a spokeswoman for the ratepayers' group Footscray Matters, Carole Demirdjian, said
only a poll would satisfy residents.

She said a Drug Policy Expert Committee recommendation that an injecting room be set
up at Footscray was disappointing because the community had "resoundingly" rejected the
centre at a recent public meeting.

"I think it shows community consultation to be an absolute farce," Ms Demirdjian said.

"We don't want any more community consultation. We want a referendum, a poll, on this
issue for every voting person in the City of Maribyrnong to have their say."

Cr White said his council was developing a drug strategy and did not have a position
on injecting facilities.

He said he personally believed the community should keep an open mind.

"I'm certainly not prepared to rule them out. I am not prepared to rule them in at
this stage, until we actually look at what our needs are in this community," he said.

He rejected claims by Ms Demirdjian that his Labor-dominated council was a lap-dog
to the state government, saying: "We are a council in our own right ... and will find
our own way forward."

Cr White said the council would consider if a poll was the best way to go but feared
a referendum could be detrimental as it would politicise an important social and health
issue.

Footscray Matters has organised a public meeting on April 29 to develop a strategy
to oppose the injecting rooms.

AAP lmw/jd/cjh

KEYWORD: INJECT FOOTSCRAY

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