Opening the ACT's first safe injecting room should be a priority during this term of government, says Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury.
As stated by Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury:
"In cities like Sydney and Melbourne, safe injecting rooms have been operating for years. But despite Canberra at times recording the highest rate of drug-induced deaths per capita in the country, we still don't have one.
"A commitment to investigate a safe injecting room was hard-won by the Greens in the last Parliamentary Agreement-but Labor dragged their feet for most of the term-having done no work on this while holding the portfolio.
"It wasn't until three years in, after a cabinet reshuffle handed the drug harm reduction portfolio to Greens Minister Emma Davidson, that this critical work finally began-with a review into how, not if, but how this work would happen.
"The fact is, this reform is thirty years overdue. Every delay, every review, means more preventable overdose deaths-and that is simply unacceptable.
"If we're serious about saving lives, we need to treat drug use as a health issue, not a criminal one. That means backing evidence-based, community-led harm reduction services-not leaving people to use alone on the streets.
"Right now we need outcomes- the Greens are flexible on location for this site, but we're absolutely clear on the need for action. No matter whether it's co-located with the fixed-site pill testing clinic in Civic or some other location that suits users, what matters is getting it done-and getting it done soon.
"The Greens are really clear: today we're calling on the government to set-up a safe injecting room in this city before the end of the year. This morning I have written to the Health Minister outlining this ask, and offering the Greens' support for a collaborative, cross-party approach to making this a reality