The Yarra Council established its support for a medically supervised injecting facility (MSIF) trial in North Richmond following yesterday’s unanimous vote.

The Yarra City Council will submit a proposal to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Drug Law Reform advising the State Government to apply the Victorian Coroner’s recommendation of a trial safe injecting facility.

In the City of Yarra’s media release issued earlier today, the Yarra Mayor, Councillor Amanda Stone said, “We see a supervised injecting facility as one part of a holistic approach to harm minimisation”.

The Yarra Council considers an injecting facility as a strategy to “prevent a repeat of the 34 overdose deaths that occurred in Richmond in 2016,” Cr Stone said.

Coroner Jacqui Hawkins recommended a supervised safe injecting facility trial to be established in Richmond after publishing her findings into the death of a 34-year-old mother in the area.

In reaction to the Coroner’s suggestion, the Australian Medical Association and the Yarra Drug and Health Forum have begun advocacy campaigns for a MSIF in North Richmond.

Greg Denham, Yarra Drug and Health Forum Executive Officer, said the organisation are working to promote safe injecting rooms to “support people who live and work in the area and want something done.”

“It will help break the connection between injecting and problematic behaviour,” Mr Denham said.

The president of the Victoria Street Traders Association, Meca Ho, said the installation of CCTV cameras would be more effective to deal with crime in the area than a safe injecting facility.

Mr Ho expressed his concern that an injecting facility would “increase crime rates” and jeopardise “the safety of the traders, their customers and the community”.

“Of course it will save lives but it will be no good for business,” Mr Ho said.