Thursday, 15 August 2019

 Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (18:10): My adjournment matter today is for the Minister for Mental Health, and the action I seek is for the minister to immediately introduce a hydromorphone trial as part of the medically supervised injecting centre. Part of this is that I just want to read the following poem, which was written by a user of the MSIC who recently died. His grief-stricken father, who would rather not be named here today, wrote to me to thank me and colleagues across the Parliament for supporting the injecting room and asking me to support a hydromorphone trial.

There is a great place us outcast drug users can go,

Where we can come to safely use our show—

A safe room to keep us alive—and I want to share how much it means to me and everyone should know.

All are allowed young, mature and old,

As for dedication for my safety, the injecting room is sold.

Carefully the staff are there so we can safely inject,

Friendly without judgement for it’s our lives they protect.

Making sure if need be reversing an overdose effect

All times friendly and helpful, they truly make an effort to connect.

Those who work here are surely worth much more than their weight in gold.

I feel warmly treated like family, the reception is never cold.

Now, three times they have saved my life, if not for this place I’d be in great strife.

So us users who tend to walk on the edge of a knife, I advise you an OD never needs to end a life.

My admiration and respect for this caring crew I cannot portray in words, more positive recognition each one deserves.

Sadly, this person could not use the centre at a time when it was shut, and he died. Marginalised heroin users spend most of their time trying to acquire heroin and the money to pay for it. In desperation they turn to crime and they turn to drug trafficking. It is maintenance therapy, and it is chaotic. If we had a hydromorphone trial, we would be able to improve the amenity of the area, reduce crime in the area, save people’s lives and move them onto better paths. I seek the minister’s support for that.