Medically supervised injecting facilities
Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:43): (192) My question is to the Minister for Mental Health, and it relates to the long-awaited Ken Lay report, which now sits with the minister. This report was expected several years ago, and as of the end of this week Parliament will be on winter break for the next six weeks. It is critical that the Labor government urgently releases this report and commits to a safe injecting centre in the Melbourne CBD. As each day goes by without a safe injecting facility in the city, people continue to use drugs in the area and inject without medical supervision and without immediate resuscitation support. Minister, please do not delay. When will you release the Ken Lay report publicly?
Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:43): Thank you, Mr Puglielli. It is a really important issue that you raise, and I will ask the Minister for Mental Health to provide me with an answer that I can furnish in accordance with the standing orders.
Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:44): I thank the minister for referring the question on. Minister, given the break approaching that I have just mentioned, to give certainty to the community, to traders, to residents and to medical professionals, if recommended in the Lay report, will the Andrews government commit to a fixed-site safe injecting facility in the City of Melbourne?
Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:44): Oh, mate, that question: ‘If it recommends, will you commit to accepting that recommendation?’ I cannot answer that question. You cannot pre-empt your support for a recommendation that you do not know is there or not. But I can confirm that the minister has publicly said that it will be released, and I will get you a response to your questions.