Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Police. I am seeking an explanation or some information from the minister on the conduct of police in responding to some recent overdoses at the Inflation Nightclub. I was very sad to hear of the overdoses on 10 June. I am always appreciative of the police responding to these difficult situations, but I have to say that as I learned more about the incident I became more curious and concerned about the series of events.
The police and paramedics attended Inflation after staff called 000 alerting them to the overdose. The response was actually within 30 seconds, which was remarkable and fantastic, but four overdoses occurred at exactly the same time — not within a short time frame but at exactly the same time — which I have to say is very unusual. The four people were supposedly strangers and had never been to the club before. The club has a very strong, loyal patron base. It has been operating for 20 years, and they operate a Scantek system so that they know who comes into the club and who has been to the club before. They also have a strong membership base with a guest list. These were complete strangers who attended.
What was also unusual was that the media were there right at that time. The ambulance arrived, the people were taken into the ambulances, and patrons and security staff were moved out of the way for the media to film the patients, the victims, being loaded into the ambulances. These are all quite interesting coincidences to have played out. On the same night there were two overdoses on Little Bourke Street. The response time from the police was not as quick as it was at Inflation.
Security at Inflation also notified the police that they suspected a drug dealer was trying to enter the premises. The police appeared to be somewhat hesitant about talking to that person. They then did arrest that dealer, but they said to the media that that person was in no way linked to the overdoses. It was as if they knew who the dealer was already. This is all in light of the Inflation Nightclub owner suing the police for defamation. I am just asking if the minister could provide me with an explanation of these circumstances, which seem highly unusual.
The PRESIDENT — You are not really seeking an action when you just ask the minister to provide information to you. Can you reword it as an action?
Ms PATTEN — I ask the minister to look into this situation and provide me with some information as to what appears to be a series of unusual circumstances involving the police. The action I seek is for the minister to investigate what occurred on 10 June and provide me with details in response to this and to ask the police how these unusual circumstances occurred.
The PRESIDENT — It is still not there, but look, it is late.
REPLY:
The Victorian Government is extremely concerned about drug use and fatal overdoses that have occurred in night clubs and music festivals, which have resulted in many deaths and hospitalisations.
Victoria Police perform a difficult role in balancing the competing rights and interests of citizens while maintaining public order and security. I am informed that Victoria Police responded to a triple zero call at the Inflation nightclub. All calls for police assistance are treated seriously and police response times will vary depending on the urgency of the matter and available police in the area.
I can assure you that the Victorian Government is committed to reducing the harm to individuals and the broader community that results from drug use, and is continuing to develop new initiatives and invest substantial funds to tackle this problem.
