I've been listening to the community and understand the concerns regarding the information circulating about a potential safe injecting room in our community.

I want to assure everyone that the safety of our community is my highest priority. I have raised these concerns directly with the Minister's office. I am advised that the Department of Health is working closely with Monash Health to understand the needs of our local community concerning the provision of their programs.

It's important to clarify some points. The needle and syringe program delivered by Monash Health in Springvale is not a new service; it has been operating since 2005. Monash Health is aware of community concerns regarding discarded litter and anti-social behaviour in the vicinity of their existing service and I will continue to work with the Minister’s office about this matter.

Regarding a supervised injecting room in Springvale, I want to be clear: This is not true. The government has no plans to open a medically supervised injecting room in Springvale. In Victoria, the locations of supervised injecting services must be specified in legislation, and currently, the only location permitted under the Act is in North Richmond. Again, I want to reassure you all that there are no plans for a supervised injecting service in Springvale.

I encourage anyone with specific concerns about litter or anti-social behaviour related to the existing needle and syringe program to report them directly to Monash Health so they can be addressed. Any litter can also be brought to the attention of the City of Greater Dandenong to have the litter removed safely.

I am committed to ensuring Springvale remains a safe and thriving community for all of us. Please contact my office on 9548 5644 if you have any questions or concerns.