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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 5 Hansard (11 May) . . Page.. 1471 ..

MR MOORE: Mr Rugendyke will recognise, of course, that the committee that made the recommendation to me was established under legislation of this house and responded according to the legislation. In doing so, it was very clear that, wherever they chose, there were going to be some people who objected. There was no doubt about that. What they did, as I understand it, was go to a series of possible locations and try to assess the cost and benefit of each location. According to my advice, they came to the unanimous decision that this was the one with the least problems. That being the case, they recommended it, and I accepted it. In fact, after question time, I will table a paper from that committee, as I am required to do under legislation.

Let me add, Mr Rugendyke, that I do not think that that is the end of the matter because, at the same time as the group you were talking about was meeting yesterday, I was in my office-during the matter of public importance debate-meeting with a representative of the owners of the particular building, trying to work out what we could do to work to minimise the impact of the supervised injecting room on those businesses. It is a very serious matter and we are taking it very seriously. The department has already spoken to the managing agent for the occasional care centre and will be meeting with the occasional care centre. We expect there to be fewer problems then.

When I met with the representative of the building owners I had with me the proposed manager of the facility, Ms Maureen Cane, and when she left my office she did so with the representative of the building owners to take him back and show him how the Drug Referral and Information Centre and ADD Inc operate at the moment on East Row and try to set up a process whereby they could work with him. The process, as I understood it as he left, was going to be that, first of all, they would meet and talk with the operational managers and the department to make sure that anything they could do there would be helpful. Secondly, they would organise a meeting with the tenants. Thirdly, they would seek to make decisions and see whether there was anything else they would be able to do. A proper process is in place to take into account the genuine concerns that those people have and to see what we can do to minimise those concerns.

MR RUGENDYKE: I have a supplementary question. I look forward to seeing the document and ask: will that document include costings on security lighting, particularly as some businesses in the area are open late of an evening, in case the clinic is open late at night?

MR MOORE: I am not sure which document you are referring to, Mr Rugendyke.

Mr Rugendyke: The one you will table.

MR MOORE: I see. No, it will not include those things. Let me say that this matter will be very open. I will be open to questions on this matter either in estimates or before the Health and Community Care Committee. At any stage it has the prerogative to call me to appear before it and I will give answers as to exactly where we are up to at that time. If any member wishes to have that information, I am quite happy to go through the costings at any stage and provide a briefing, because I realise that it is a matter of great concern to members.

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