Pubdate: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 Source: Age, The (Australia) Copyright: 1999 David Syme & Co Ltd Contact: 250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia Website: http://www.theage.com.au/ Author: Hugh Martin CLINIC WILL GO AHEAD: CHURCH Wesley Central Mission is expected to announce details tomorrow of the opening of a health centre for Melbourne heroin addicts, despite continuing public condemnation of the plan from inner city residents. The Wesley Central Mission superintendent, Mr Timothy Langley, said the centre, supposed to be a safe injecting room, is to open in response to two heroin deaths on church grounds this year. "Wesley Mission wants to complement the Premier's initiative by opening its own facility," Mr Langley said yesterday. The State Government is likely to push through legislation supporting safe injecting rooms as soon as Parliament resumes. The Premier, Mr Steve Bracks, last week said local councils would be responsible for opening facilities within their municipalities. Resident and business owner Ms Denise Sullivan, who lives opposite the clinic, said residents had been refused permission to view conversion plans for the clinic at 117 Little Lonsdale Street. She said the purported six-month consultation process with neighbors had been a sham. The Health Minister, Mr John Thwaites, said that a heroin injecting clinic run by the mission would not open without proper consultation. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D