Victoria's controversial North Richmond supervised-injecting room has saved dozens of lives and will be made permanent, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced.
Mr Andrews revealed this morning that an independent review of the facility had recommended it move beyond the trial phase, and that legislation would be introduced to ensure this.
Mr Andrews said more than 6,000 overdoses had been treated at the facility since it opened in 2018, and 63 deaths had been prevented.
At the centre, users can safely inject drugs and access other services, such as mental health support, drug treatment, wound care and blood testing.
"Whilst there are still challenges — and the report speaks to safety as well as amenity and making further improvements, further wrap-around services — it is very clear that this facility has changed lives and saved lives," Mr Andrews said.
"Stories of people dying in laneways and gutters, stories of, literally, dead bodies throughout that local community meant that we needed to do something different, something challenging."
Former police commissioner Ken Lay is carrying out a report into a proposed second injecting room in Melbourne's CBD. That report is due mid-year.
Mr Andrews said the government had accepted all of the North Richmond facility review's recommendations except one, which proposed allowing peer or partner injecting, and removing barriers to people who are on court orders and to pregnant women.
Mr Andrews also acknowledged that some local residents remained opposed to the facility and pledged to address their concerns about safety and other impacts on the local community.
Littered needles 'remain a challenge', report says
The report, authored by public health researcher John Ryan, noted some local residents strongly opposed the location of the facility, saying they feel unsafe because of the behaviour of drug users attracted by the injecting room.
"The Panel finds that trialling an [injecting room] has not overcome the broader amenity challenges created by a pre-existing drug market," the report said.
"While there have been fewer overdoses requiring ambulance attendance in the area, public injecting and inappropriate discarding of needles and syringes remain a challenge.
"One resident commented that since the [facility] opened 'I haven't had anyone knock on the door to ask if I'm okay or acknowledge that it must be tough'."
Local resident Judy Ryan, who led the campaign for the establishment of the facility, welcomed the government's decision.
"As a resident of that area, it was commonplace to come home from shopping and find human beings slumped in laneways, in carports, in gardens. In 2016, 34 people lost their lives in the local government area of Yarra," Ms Ryan said.
"Finding human beings slumped is one thing, there was also the constant presence of emergency sirens. It was like living in a war zone. It was stressful, it was unacceptable."
However, resident Christine Maynard criticised the decision to make the facility permanent, saying children in the area were being exposed to traumatic and distressing situations.
"No child should be exposed to what these kids go through every day of their lives walking to and from school," she said.
"Why is it appropriate for a little preppy or a young child to see a dead body under a sheet walking to school at 8.30 in the morning?"
Ms Maynard said the views of nearby residents had been ignored by the government.
"As a resident of 27 years and a parent, I find it absolutely disgusting that this has been allowed to happen. We were promised so many things when this place opened, then the trial was extended and nothing has changed, in actual fact it's got worse," she said.
"We continue to see dead bodies in our streets, we continue to see public injecting, we continue to see violence. It's not going to change."
The chief executive of the Victorian Healthcare Association, Leigh Clarke, welcomed the government's decision, describing it as "sensible and evidence-based".
"The government's decision highlights the tremendous work of the North Richmond Community Health service team who care for all members of their local community, including people at their most vulnerable," Ms Clarke said.
"Running a medically supervised injecting room can be challenging work, but our community health services never shy away from what needs to be done to save lives and deliver healthcare in all its forms."
Opposition calls for clarity on CBD location
Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the government had not considered the objections of local residents about the location of the facility next to a primary school.
He said the government's treatment model was also ineffective.
"We would prefer an approach which is different from the government's in that it's evidence-based and it's designed to transition people off addictive substances," Mr Pesutto said.
Shadow Mental Health Minister Emma Kealy called on the government to address concerns from traders, residents and emergency services about the location of a second injecting room in the CBD, which has been proposed for a site near the popular Degraves Street precinct.
