Pubdate: Mon, 05 Jun 2000
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2000 David Syme & Co Ltd
Contact:  250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
Website: http://www.theage.com.au/
Author: Ewin Hannan, State Editor

FACE FACTS ON HEROIN, BRACKS URGES PUBLIC

Premier Steve Bracks yesterday appealed for public support of heroin
injecting rooms, declaring he was prepared to lose votes in his quest to
find a more effective remedy for Victoria's drug epidemic.

Mr Bracks told the ALP state conference in Ivanhoe that the community had to
face up to the fact that the current approaches to drugs were not working.

He urged all Victorians to examine the government's proposed injecting room
legislation with an open mind and an open heart.

He told delegates that Labor had the courage to try something new. "No
government, no community, can simply stand by and do nothing while so many
of our fellow citizens are dying, and dying on the streets here in
Victoria," he said.

Another fiery public meeting on the heroin issue was held in Footscray on
Saturday. The former rock singer Normie Rowe argued with the local Labor MP,
Bruce Mildenhall, during the meeting.

Outside the conference yesterday, Mr Bracks said he was prepared to lose
votes over the issue, because Labor's policy was right.

He said he could not just stand by as Premier and watch the tragic loss of
life. "We have to do something to try and fix it," he said. "What's
happening now is not working, and, yes, if it means we lose some support
over it, it's still the right thing to do."

He said the government had bent over backwards to accommodate the
opposition, and Labor was prepared to work with the Liberal Party to get the
legislation passed.

In his conference address, Mr Bracks highlighted Labor's recent electoral
gains, but said the hard work on party policy must continue.

"We must take the real message of these victories to heart," he said. "Our
history shows that when Labor retires to the inner city, Labor retires
entirely. And our recent success shows that when Labor focuses on the whole
of state, our effort is rewarded."

Mr Bracks will meet Prime Minister John Howard in Canberra today to push
Victoria's case over the Snowy River.

While the meeting is scheduled for general discussions, Mr Bracks intends to
push "for a better deal" in the state's bid to restore the Snowy flow.

The Premier also rejected a push by the independent member for Mildura,
Russell Savage, for an independent inquiry into police corruption. Mr Bracks
said it was not justified.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Don Beck