Pubdate: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 Source: Herald Sun (Australia) Copyright: News Limited 2000 Contact: PO Box 14999, Melbourne City, MC 8001 Australia Fax: (03) 9292 2112 Website: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ Author: Nicola Webber SENIOR LIBS SPLIT OVER HEROIN TRIAL A DRAMATIC split has opened between Denis Napthine and key frontbencher Robert Doyle over the Opposition's heroin policy.The Opposition Leader has claimed debate about a heroin trial -- where governments would give the drug to hard-core addicts -- was a waste of time. "I think anything to do with proposals of prescription-heroin trials is a furphy, a red herring, heading off in a different direction," he told the Herald Sun. "It is a dead issue because it hasn't got the support of other states and territories, of both political persuasions, or the Federal Government." His hard line was at odds with shadow health minister Mr Doyle, who yesterday put a prescribed-heroin trial on the agenda by giving it his personal backing. "Although I can't speak for my entire party on this, I would say personally I am very much in favor of it and I think it is something I would try in the future to convince my party to support," Mr Doyle said. The Federal Government two years ago scuttled ACT plans for a heroin trial and Prime Minister John Howard remains opposed. Such a trial would win support from Victoria's Labor and Liberal parties, which both backed the ACT proposal, but Dr Napthine said it was not on the agenda. And hopes of bipartisan support for supervised injecting rooms were dealt a blow yesterday with the government and opposition indulging in a slanging match. Premier Steve Bracks on Monday said Liberal MPs would be "turning their back on the hundreds of Victorians dying from heroin overdoses" if they failed to support a trial of injecting rooms. Dr Napthine said Mr Bracks should apologise to Liberal MPs. "I think the words the Premier used yesterday were absolutely uncalled for, an insult to the members of the Liberal Party and absolutely contrary to any spirit of bipartisanship," he said. An angry Mr Doyle accused the government of playing politics. "I think using people's deaths as a stick to try to beat the Liberal Party is just offensive," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck