Injecting room trial expands
AN expansion of Melbourne’s drug injecting room trial will help stop more addicts shooting up on inner-city streets, the State Government says.
A new centre at North Richmond opened its doors yesterday, more than a year into the controversial 18month trial. It was previously based at a local community health clinic next door but Mental Health Minister Martin Foley says the new, bigger facility with longer opening hours will help stop people shooting up on the streets.
The trial has provoked outcry from some nearby residents, including for its proximity to the Richmond West Primary School.
There have been more than 60,000 visits to the centre and nearly 3000 people have used the facility since it opened in June last year. More than 1200 overdoses have also been safely managed, the trial’s medical director Nico Clark said.
It comes after a coroner last month revealed there had been virtually no reduction in heroin-related deaths around North Richmond in the centre’s first six months of operation. But Coroner Audrey Jamieson also said the trial was essential and six months was not enough time to judge its effect on drugrelated harm in the area. A YOUNG family was lucky to escape when their Bannockburn home was engulfed by fire early Sunday morning.
Emergency crews were called to the brick home in Pilloud St just after 1.30am when the homeowners noticed smoke coming from the house.
Bannockburn CFA captain Dale Smithyman said the fire gutted the family home.
“We were called about 1.40am to a structure fire and when we got there the house was fully involved (with fire),” Mr Smithyman said. “We started an attack and knocked it down in about 20 minutes.”
Crews from Corio, Lethbridge and Bannockburn spent several hours blacking out the blaze and making the area safe.
A young family was asleep in the house when the blaze broke out but managed to escape largely unharmed.
Ambulance Victoria’s John Mullen said the man and woman, both in their 30s, and a primary school-aged boy were taken to Geelong hospital for treatment.
Mr Smithyman said the family had lost almost everything in the blaze and was being supported by local relief agencies. But he said the fire could have been far worse.
“It’s a good day when people escape largely unscathed,” he said.
Fire investigators will probe the cause of the fire.