☕️ Victoria abandons second injecting room

Good morning!

Here is today’s riddle: A woman lives in a one-storey house where everything is green. The carpet is green, the tile is green, the cabinets are green…what colour are the stairs?

The answer is in the tidbit!

I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“I don’t want anyone to have to live with the fear and anxiety that I live with every day of my lifetime… we only get one brain.”
NRL legend Wally Lewis speaking at the National Press Club, calling for more funding to support people with concussion-induced brain injuries. Lewis, who has been diagnosed with dementia, believes he may have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can only be diagnosed after death.

Stat of the day

1 in 5
How many new cars sold this year are expected to be electric, according to new projections from the International Energy Agency.

Today in history

1916
The Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read in Dublin which declared the Irish Republic as an independent state.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• Victoria has announced a new Greens leader after former MP Samantha Ratnam stepped down. Melbourne MP Ellen Sandell has been elected, and at 39 years old is the “first millennial to lead a major political party in the state”. Sandell says she will “put pressure on Labor” for “secure housing, affordable food, and a healthy climate.”

• The UK has passed a bill that will send refugees to Rwanda in the next 10 to 12 weeks. As debates were being held in Parliament, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he had “500 highly trained individuals ready to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda.” The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill gives the UK Government the authority to send asylum seekers to the Central African country to seek refugee status. It is expected to be signed into law later this week.

Recommendation of the day

I’ve got 1 minute

Uber will now allow 13-17 year olds to ride alone in SA, ACT, and Tas

Uber will legally allow teenagers aged 13 to 17 to ride without an adult for the first time, in parts of Australia.

It will initially be available in Adelaide, Canberra, and Hobart.

Uber says it will “soon” introduce teen accounts in other cities.

Details

Uber for teens requires parents/ guardians to create a profile for their child under an adult account.

Drivers must have either a Working with Children Check or a Working with Vulnerable People registration, depending on location.

Pin verification and location tracking will be enabled on a child’s ride. There is also an option for the driver and the child to audio record a trip.

Uber says teen accounts give 13-17 year olds “the freedom to request their own rides”.

Previous study

A 2022 Monash University survey of more than 600 Australian parents found nearly two-thirds would “never” allow their children to use ride-sharing apps alone while underage.

I’ve got 2 minutes

The Victorian Govt won’t open a planned supervised injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD

The Victorian Government will not go ahead with plans to set up a supervised injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD.

Premier Jacinta Allan said there’s no appropriate location in Melbourne city that “balances the needs of people who use drugs with the needs of the broader CBD community”.

The Greens’ drug harm reduction spokesperson Aiv Puglielli called the Government’s decision “spineless“ and said it could lead to more drug-related deaths.

What are they?

Supervised injecting rooms are hygienic places where a person can inject drugs under medical supervision.

Doctors ask users about what drugs they’re taking and can quickly respond to an overdose if it occurs.

Supervised injecting facilities can also provide mental health support, treatment for addiction, and blood testing services.

Victoria

The Victorian Government set up the state’s first supervised injecting room in Richmond in 2018, just outside the CBD.

The Richmond facility has medically responded to more than 8,000 overdoses. An independent review found it’s saved more than 60 lives.

In June 2020, then-Premier Daniel Andrews committed to opening up a second injecting site in Melbourne’s CBD.

Lay report

A report was commissioned by the Victorian Government into the proposed establishment of this new supervised injecting room.

The report, led by former head of Victoria Police Ken Lay, handed down its recommendations in May 2023. It has taken nearly a year for the government to make that report public.

Lay’s report noted there were 54 drug deaths in the City of Melbourne between 2020 and 2021, making it the deadliest site for drug use in Victoria. Lay recommended setting up a small injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD.

Government comments

Today, the Victorian Government announced it would not set up an injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD.

While admitting it was “disappointing”, Premier Jacinta Allan said the Government could not find a suitable location for a second injecting room.

The Government accepted Lay’s other recommendations to improve healthcare responses and drug treatments for people struggling with addiction.

Opposition

The Victorian Coalition has long opposed plans to open up more injecting rooms around the state, and previously warned the Richmond injecting room was having a negative impact on community safety.

Shadow Mental Health Minister Emma Kealy said the Government’s decision to “walk away from a second injecting room is the right outcome”.

“This long-overdue decision ends years of uncertainty for residents, traders, and visitors to Melbourne’s CBD”.

Industry view

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA), the state’s peak body for services in drugs and alcohol, said the decision was disappointing.

CEO Chris Christoforou said experts had backed a second injecting room, saying: “Fear and stigma continue to [obstruct] good public policy”.

However, the VAADA welcomed the state government’s plan to improve access to drug-related services across Victoria.

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Give me some good news

Katherine Bennell-Pegg is set to become Australia’s first female astronaut.

Bennell-Pegg graduated from the European Space Agency Astronaut Centre on Monday alongside five others, after a year of training.

The 39-year-old is also the first person to train and become an astronaut under the Australian flag. She said she wants “to use this experience to open doors for Australian scientists and engineers”.

TDA tidbit

Step away from your benches!

Independent charity Environment Victoria has called on Masterchef Australia to stop cooking with gas stovetops.

It comes after Australian Gas Networks announced a partnership for the upcoming season, with cooktops “powered by carbon neutral gas”.

Environment Victoria said Masterchef is helping “greenwash the gas industry” and said the TV show “should be promoting healthier electric induction cooking”.

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Riddle answer: It's a one-storey house, there are no stairs.

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When Elon Musk bought Twitter, he promised to make the social media platform a haven for free speech.

Tonight, that commitment will be challenged in court by the Australian Government, as the eSafety Commissioner has demanded footage of last week’s Sydney church stabbing to be removed from the platform.

On today's podcast, we’ll explain the controversy and why the ‘free speech’ argument might not hold up in an Australian court.

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