Questions without notice and ministers statements
Medically supervised injecting facilities
Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:00): (281) My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. It has been over four months since Ken Lay handed his report to the government about the need for a safe injecting facility in the Melbourne CBD, yet the government has still not responded to or released the report. This is creating a huge amount of uncertainty amongst communities, and at least one person is dying of an overdose in our city every month. Minister, given your new portfolio responsibilities, when will the government commit to establishing a second medically supervised injecting facility in Melbourne’s CBD?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:00): I thank Dr Mansfield for her question. It is certainly a very important issue. When it comes to saving lives and reducing harm we do want to listen to the experts, and I do want to be able to digest Ken Lay’s important body of work.
Georgie Crozier interjected.
Ingrid STITT: I have been the minister for two days, Ms Crozier, so I think you might want to just calm down a little bit. This is an important issue and one that I have already told my new department officials that I am very keen to put a high priority on, so I will be getting some further briefings on this issue. I will be taking the time to digest Ken Lay’s report. I think we owe it to the community. We owe it to the people who have lost their lives and their loved ones to actually properly consider this work. It is a complex issue, and it deserves, I think, the new minister being afforded the opportunity to give proper consideration to Ken Lay’s recommendations. In due course when I have been able to do that work the government will be releasing Ken Lay’s report and the government response.
Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:02): I thank the minister for her response. However, the government’s lack of urgency on this is concerning. There is ongoing uncertainty about the location and timing, and this is disruptive for communities. As I said, people are dying preventable deaths. Not to mention there is the threat of illicit fentanyl, which we know has dramatically increased overdoses overseas, and that is looming large. Last week 18 peak medical bodies and unions signed a joint letter calling for the second safe injecting facility. They included the AMA, Health and Community Services Union and Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia, and they were united in their calls to urgently establish a facility in the CBD. We have heard concerns that the government are backing away from their commitment, so, Minister, will you announce the details of a medically supervised injecting facility in the CBD before the end of this year?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:03): I thank Dr Mansfield for her supplementary question, but I have to say it is like she did not actually adjust her supplementary question to take account of the answer I gave, which I think was pretty genuine in saying quite clearly and in a very up-front way that I have had an initial briefing with my department, I have asked for a more thorough briefing about these issues, I have indicated to them that it is a priority for me to get on and digest the report from Ken Lay, which I have not read yet and I fully intend to, and I will be carefully considering these complex issues. It is really easy for people to make light of this, but I actually take this matter very seriously, and I will be doing the thorough work that is going to be required to consider Ken Lay’s important report. I will have more to say on these matters in due course.