Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — I rise today to acknowledge the many contributors to the public debate on having a medically supervised injecting centre in North Richmond. There have been many people, but I would just like to single out a few of them in particular: Judy Ryan, a resident in North Richmond, for her tireless work in her community and her strong advocacy in the media and down on the streets; Cherie Short, who bravely shared her very personal story of the loss of her son Aaron; Danny Hill and Steve McGhie from Ambulance Employees Australia, for their insight and advocacy on behalf of paramedics; Dr Marianne Jauncey from the Kings Cross centre; Robert Richter and Greg Denham for their tireless and powerful advocacy; the Australian Drug Foundation; and Mick Palmer, former federal police commissioner, for his insights on how a supervised injecting centre would benefit police.
There have been many more contributors, including the 48 signatures on an open letter, and especially the Salvation Army. I would like to thank all of them for helping to save the lives of Victorians as we progress in this important change.
