As the ACT Government considers various reports into establishing supervised injecting services in the Territory, Uniting NSW.ACT is calling on the ACT Government to establish supervised injecting services in Canberra. 

In 2001, Uniting’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in Kings Cross was opened – the first of its kind in the English-speaking world.   

“We have learnt a great deal over the last 25 years operating this life saving and life-changing health service – the numbers don’t lie,” Alice Salomon, Head of Advocacy, Uniting NSW.ACT said. 

“Over 24 plus years – 1.43 million injections on site, nearly 12,000 overdoses with not a single death, more than 25,000 referrals into various forms of treatment care and support. Ours is a welcoming, useful, pragmatic service that saves and changes lives for the better. 

There are more than 150 supervised injecting facilities like MSIC in Kings Cross already operating around the world – in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark, Canada, Portugal, Iceland and France, amongst others. 

“The need in the ACT for such a service, or number of smaller co-located services, has never been greater,” Alice said. 

“A recent report from the Pennington Institute revealed that nearly four times as many people died from unintentional drug-induced deaths in 2021 than died in road accidents in the ACT. 

“This model of co-located, small, supervised injecting services in the right places would benefit the surrounding community, as well as the individual. These services can and will save many lives in the ACT – all people we love.  

“Someone’s brother, sister, mother, father, cousin, friend or partner,” she said. 

“In Kings Cross the local community, businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, Police and NSW Ambulance staff have all seen first-hand the positive impact on the area from the establishment of MSIC over the last quarter of a century. 

“The most effective way to support people whose lives are affected by drug use or dependency is to invest in an evidence-based, whole of government response that appropriately resources harm reduction and treatment service and ensures we are creating an equitable service landscape across the ACT. 

“One simple, sensible, compassionate, and proven harm reduction measure is to get on with establishing appropriate safe injecting services in Canberra,” Alice said. 

Uniting runs the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre and has spearheaded the Fair Treatment campaign for fairer drug laws for over six years.