Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — My second question is for the Minister for Families and Children, representing the Minister for Mental Health. In response to my supervised injecting centre bill and the coroner’s related recommendations around a medically supervised injecting centre, the minister announced in February a $1.3 million package to subsidise the cost of naloxone. I am advised by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia that since naloxone has been available across the counter, there have been persistent issues with low wholesaler stock and naloxone is regularly unavailable. What is the government doing to guarantee the supply of naloxone across Victoria other than subsidising a product that may not be available?
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I thank the minister. I look forward to that, and obviously this will apply to my supplementary as well. I have been advised by the guild that the adrenaline EpiPen that is commonly used in other jurisdictions for naloxone is not available here. For administration here, naloxone has to come in either a prefilled syringe which a needle has to be attached to or an ampoule that is then drawn into a syringe. It is very complicated. The minister has announced a policy to assist in the distribution of naloxone to peers, families and communities as an important part of strengthening Victoria’s response to overdose. Does the government’s policy expect that ordinary members of the community encountering overdoses are now going to be forced to sort of fumble with needles and syringes before administering what could be a life-saving drug, naloxone?
The PRESIDENT — Order! Again I have some concern. I think this goes to a quite separate issue, but there is obviously a relationship. The common thread is overdoses, deaths in the community, survival rates and so forth, and certainly the availability of certain treatments. So on that basis I will allow it, but it is pushing the envelope a little bit.
