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Needle bus must go - Mundine

Aboriginal community leader Mick Mundine has renewed calls for The Block's controversial needle exchange bus to be scrapped, as plans are put in place for new drug services in Redfern reports Britta Jorgensen in Precinct South Sydney Edition Issue 4/2007 in November 2007.

The $8.1 million Redfern Community Health Centre proposal, to be developed on the former Redfern courthouse and police station sites, will include facilities for injecting drug users.

"It's time for the bus to go," said Mr Mundine, who is chief executive of the Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC) in Redfern.

He said there were already enough services for drug users in Redfern, and that the government was using the bus to try to contain drugs within The Block.

"It encourages all the druggies to come here," he said.

But the Sydney South West Area Health Service (SSWAHS) indicated that it would continue to run the bus.

"There is a very high prevalence of injecting drug users on the Block, that's where it's happening," said Tim Stern, a spokesperson.

"If we were to withdraw it too soon, we would expect a very quick and drastic increase in HIV infection, firstly among injecting drug users and then in the broader community"

Local resident, Barbara, said: "I like the bus there. It saves them sharing dirty needles.

"It should be somewhere out of sight of the kids," said another local, Arthur, who works at the Redfern Community Centre, near where the bus parks.

Mr Mundine was also concerned about the location of the bus, next to a playground.

"A lot of kids still don't go to school so they're playing around there. They think it's a normal thing to do, and come on, it's about time that changed," he said.

The SSWAHS had considered other options, and decided the current location was where the service was most needed.

"It needs to be accessible to injecting drug users. If it is not accessible to injecting drug users, it means they will not use the service," said Mr Stern.

A proposal for the centre's development on Lawson Street was withdrawn two years ago, following complaints by local residents, and the community group Red Alert, about its location next to a house with young children.

"You do need to have services for injecting drug users within the community," said Geoff Turnbull spokesperson for local community group REDWatch.

"But unless you go through a process that actually tries to get the community to understand what is needed, you will end up with that sort of reaction. It was very badly handled."

The new proposal for a health centre with facilities for drug users is currently in design, and will tender later this year. "That bus has got to go,” said Mr Mundine.

Photo: Children play next to the syringe exchange bus parked near The Block in Redfern.

Source: University of Technology Precinct South Sydney Edition Issue 4/2007 page 4

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