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The Hon. JAN BURNSWOODS [6.30 p.m.]: In talking about the success of the medically supervised injecting centre located in Kings Cross, I shall refer to two matters. The first is a newspaper article of 11 March that reports on a detailed study of the successful operation of the centre. I draw the attention of honourable members to an account of the first few years of the centre written by its director, Dr Ingrid van Beek, entitled In the Eye of the Needle. I thank John Weate from Great Lakes Council for kindly giving me this fascinating book. Honourable members will remember that the injecting centre grew out of a recommendation—perhaps many recommendations–of the Drug Summit held in the Parliament in 1999. I pay tribute to the then Premier Bob Carr for organising the Drug Summit. I also pay tribute to many members of Parliament, representatives from various groups, including health and police, and many others involved in issues centring on drugs during the fruitful week of discussions that took place.
As with most summits, the Drug Summit was notable because several people changed their minds after listening to the debate. I think we all move forward when that happens. It may be remembered that, arising out of the decision to trial a medically supervised injecting centre, it was decided that the centre would be run by the Sisters of Charity health service, which is linked to St Vincent's Hospital. Consequently, it was a great disappointment when Archbishop Pell, as he then was, persuaded various authorities in the Vatican that the Sisters of Charity should be ordered not to proceed down that path. However, as it turned out, perhaps that was a good thing. The Kirketon Road Centre, run by Dr Ingrid van Beek, was successfully dealing with not only the medical needs but also a variety of social and other needs of injecting drug users. The centre was in the area and was familiar with the issues, and it was willing to take on the onerous task of running the injecting centre.
The medically supervised injecting centre opened on 6 May 2001. A report by the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research has produced what I think are some astounding but impressive figures. Since the centre opened in May 2001 it has supervised more than 214,400 visits and managed 1,262 drug overdoses without a fatality. These figures cover the first 3½ years of the centre's operations, up to December 2004. Many of us remember when it was a regular occurrence to open a newspaper or watch a television news program and learn that yet another person had been found dead of a drug overdose, often in the inner city but also in other parts of Sydney.
The injecting centre has been successful not only in preventing these preventable deaths but also, in many cases, in helping get people back on track by leading a life that works for them. Whether it is other medical issues, housing issues, a need for social support or addressing homelessness, the centre has played a role that goes way beyond its narrowly defined tasks. During the time covered by the report, the centre had referred 3,620 people for drug treatment and health and medical care. Obviously the report contains a number of other statistics. The 1,700 overdoses that occurred up to the end of 2005 were treated immediately—in other words, an average of 20 to 30 minutes sooner than if they had occurred on the streets. Dr van Beek made that point in her book and when talking about this report. The centre ensured that people survived, and survived without great harm.
Unfortunately, the centre is still controversial, despite all its success. I am disappointed that even after all this time, and after the leading role played by some Opposition members, the member for Vaucluse, the temporary Leader of the Opposition, has vowed to close the centre if he becomes the Premier. I cannot think of a more retrograde step in relation to injecting drug users. I certainly hope that that is one policy area on which he changes his mind.