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- 7 June 2007
Medically Supervised Injecting Centre
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Page: 1052
Mr PAUL PEARCE: My question is addressed to the Minister for Health. Will the Minister inform the House of the latest information regarding the future of the medically supervised injecting centre at Kings Cross?
Ms REBA MEAGHER: Members are no doubt aware of the history of the medically supervised injecting centre located at 66 Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross. The facility is operated by Uniting Care New South Wales and is ably led by Dr Ingrid van Beek. Many members, myself included, have taken the opportunity to visit the facility and see at first hand the outstanding and often difficult work undertaken by staff at the centre. Anyone who has visited the centre would be under no illusion about its raw functionality. The trial of this facility began as a result of the Drug Summit in 1999. It commenced operations in May 2001. The initial trial has been extended by this Parliament on two occasions following positive independent evaluations. Later today the Government will introduce a bill to extend further the trial for this facility for another four years. The choice to continue with the trial, as opposed to making the facility permanent, is based on the legal requirement for this facility to be one that is operated for medical and scientific research purposes.
The most recent independent evaluation undertaken by the federally funded National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research will be made public via the centre's website later today. The evaluation found that the centre has saved lives and avoided serious injury. The independent evaluator found that since it opened the centre has successfully managed more than 2,000 overdoses without a single fatality. The independent evaluation considered it likely that a substantial proportion of these overdoses would otherwise have taken place in public, resulting in additional ambulance callouts and the use of valuable police and emergency department resources. Without medical attention it is certain that many of these people would have suffered from severe medical complications and some would have died.
Since the centre opened in May 2001, 9,778 individuals have been assessed and registered, with about 109 new registrations occurring each month. Registered clients have made a total of 391,170 visits, with approximately 6,500 visits occurring in April this year. And 113 in every 1,000 visits resulted in the provision of health care, medical and social services by centre staff on a total of 44,082 occasions. To be clear, 11.3 per cent of people visiting this centre are referred for treatment, which is in stark contrast to some of the more sensational commentary on the subject. Of the 6,243 referrals, 2,801 were for drug treatment, 1,720 for health care, and 1,722 for social welfare services.
The number of referrals doubled in the 12 months following the appointment in November 2004 of a case referral coordinator at the request of the Government. A recent survey found that 73 per cent of local residents and 68 per cent of local businesses now support the trial. These same businesses vehemently opposed the centre when it was first established. Those who visit the facility and those who see that the local amenity has improved by not having the scourge of public injecting of heroin generally support its ongoing operation. Since the facility opened in Kings Cross, overdose deaths each month have fallen by 70 per cent.
Opioid poisoning presentations to emergency departments have fallen by 35 per cent. Ambulance attendances to suspected opioid overdoses have decreased by 63 per cent. Between January 2000 and January 2007 there was a 48 per cent decrease in needles and syringes collected within 500 metres of the centre. The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found no evidence that the centre had a honey-pot effect, drawing drug crime into the local area. A further trial period will allow the establishment of a longer-term evidence base of the effectiveness of the centre. That is of particular importance, given the long-term drug use of its client group.
The SPEAKER: Order! There is too much audible conversation in the Chamber. The Minister will be heard in silence.
Ms REBA MEAGHER: Taxpayers do not fund this facility; it is funded from the proceeds of crime. I again remind members that the Uniting Church runs this centre. In addition to providing a gateway for treatment, the centre also helps to reduce the problem of the spread of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. The medically supervised injecting centre is just one component of the Government's comprehensive response to the complex problems of drug abuse in our society. Law enforcement continues to be the first line of defence in the war against drugs. The heroin drought is evidence that these efforts are making an impact.
The second line of defence is education and early intervention to try to persuade people not to experiment with dangerous and addictive substances. But no government in the Western world has prevented drug use in its major cities. That is why the third line of defence must continue to be harm minimisation. We will continue to do everything we can to eliminate drugs from our society through tough policing and law enforcement. We want nothing more than to be able to close this facility because the demand is no longer there. So the bill to be introduced later today will, for the first time, establish a threshold for clients' attendance levels. If the centre's utilisation falls below 75 per cent of current daily levels, a formal review will be triggered into the economic viability and need for the centre.
No-one wants to have a facility for the purpose of injecting illegal drugs. Every member in this place would prefer that heroin and other injecting drugs were eliminated. But the evidence in support of this facility is strong. Drugs in major cities are a fact of life. This is a worldwide phenomenon. It is imperative that we ensure that the harm inflicted is minimised, and so too is the use of valuable police, ambulance service and emergency department specialist time. Stopping the spread of disease and preventable death is essential. I look forward to the debate on this bill in the near future.
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