Thursday, 31 August 2023

Drug harm reduction

David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (17:27): (450) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Mental Health. Today is International Overdose Awareness Day, an annual global event aimed at raising awareness of overdoses, remembering those who have died and acknowledging the grief experienced by their loved ones. Overdose deaths in Australia have long exceeded the road toll. In 2022 over 500 Victorians died from overdose, more than double the number of people who died on our roads – both tragic.

The Penington Institute has released an excellent new report on access to opioid pharmacotherapy treatment in Australia. It considers system-wide issues across Australia and offers recommendations to improve access to this life-saving treatment. A key recommendation calls on government and stakeholders to:

… work together to rapidly accelerate and expand trials of alternative opioid pharmacotherapy medications, including short-acting injectable opioids …

such as hydromorphone. In March the Ryan review of the medically supervised safe injecting room also recommended the Victorian government expand access to opioid pharmacotherapy, including hydromorphone, particularly for people whose previous treatment had not been successful. Indeed at the time the Premier expressed enthusiasm for the idea. He noted, and I am paraphrasing slightly here:

Hydromorphone is one area –

where the Ryan review –

… wants to see an expansion … there’s very clear evidence that that works, it saves and changes lives itself, not just in North Richmond but across the board.

More recently, during deliberations for the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medically Supervised Injecting Centre) Bill 2023 we were assured that the government would be considering innovative therapies, including hydromorphone, in the recommissioning of the North Richmond safe injecting facility. So the action that I seek is that the minister update the house on the government’s progress in relation to hydromorphone and expanded pharmacotherapy more generally, including in the recommissioning of the North Richmond safe injecting facility.