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Response to Exclusion Zones for Drug Users
June 29, 2006
This is our response to the article in the Herald Sun on Drug exlusion zones. The Herald Sun article is attached to the end of this response.
This Saturday a scheme called 'Project Reduction' will begin in Maribyrnong. Under the scheme, drug addicts and dealers will be banned from nine suburbs - Footscray, Braybrook, Yarraville, Maidstone, Tottenham, Seddon, Kingsville, West Footscray and Maribyrnong - if they don't live in the area. The Footscray CIU developed the scheme, and media has reported that if the scheme is a 'success' it could be adopted in other areas such as Melbourne City, Richmond and Springvale.
The Sentencing Act gives magistrates the power to place offenders on good behaviour bonds with special conditions. Under Project Reduction, those who appear before the courts would have to satisfy strict requirements in order to be allowed to enter the City of Maribyrnong, for example by showing that they have family in the area, require medical or legal advice, or need to be there for any purpose that cannot be conducted elsewhere.
The ban will apply primarily to people convicted of drug dealing and possession, but will also apply to burglars, shoplifters and people with assault convictions if they are found to be drug addicted. This scheme does not target recreational drug users - it targets addicts who, in order to support their expensive addictions, find themselves with no apparent choice but to turn to crime.
Let’s not forget that illicit drug users are often counted among the members of our community who are mentally ill, homeless and generally in need of intense support.
Urban Seed has experienced almost the same issue in the CBD over the past five years. Excluding people from the CBD through tough Bail conditions have been a problem that we have tried to address. At Urban Seed we have developed relationships with illicit drug users over the last ten years. We have found that to begin to work with people through the rehabilitation process the most important thing for people is having a sense of trust. The problem with excluding illicit drug users (from the CBD in our case) who have found support is that they have to start again with other communities and services in the process of building trust. Moreover, the stigma that they already experience can make it difficult to find access to services in other areas.
The idea that this is a new response seems out of place considering Police have been down this exclusion path before. The following was reported at a CBD Police and Serve Providers meeting in September of last year:
“Bail exclusion zones had been an issue with local service providers for a long time, in Footscray. Three years ago Footscray police had operated on a zero-tolerance approach to drug related issues; and the use of Bail Exclusion Zones being applied to individuals , increased dramatically. However, in 2002 after being approached by several local services and the Ombudsman’s office, the Footscray Police developed an understanding of the social and health issues and the negative impacts the arise when Bail Exclusions Zones were applied to individuals on bail for drug related offences. These exclusion zones effectively barred people from accessing any support, medical, housing services and Centrelink in the Footscray CBD. In response to this the Police no longer request that Bail Exclusion Zones be applied to people, and as a consequence the Police and local service providers have developed strong links and meet regularly to discuss and resolve local drug related issues”.
The government response to illicit drug issues is one of harm minimisation. Harm reduction, a vital element of this policy, ensures appropriate health and other services are provided for illicit drug users. The funding for these services has been targeted to the five ‘drug hot spots’ identified in the Pennington Report (2000). Excluding drug users from suburbs funded in this way shows a blatant disregard for the work and money that has already gone into providing an effective community response to problematic drug use. If this project disperses people to several other suburbs that aren’t ‘hot spot’ funded, is the government prepared to provide the necessary funding of harm reduction work?
It seems logical that this scheme would simply move drug use to other suburbs. Urban Seed exists in a ‘hot spot’ of drug use in the CBD. During the intense policing of the Commonwealth Games, we saw drug use numbers plummet. However, surrounding suburbs were affected by this displacement. Fair enough that Footscray residents “deserve a break”, but we know that cracking down in Maribyrnong is not going to solve our communities illicit drug use issues, it will in fact move them to somewhere else which in all likelihood will not have the infrastructure required to respond appropriately.
HERALD SUN ARTICLE
Drugs no-go zone
Mark Buttler
29jun06
HEROIN addicts and dealers will be banned from nine Melbourne suburbs in a radical crackdown on the drug trade.
They will risk jail if they break court orders banning them from drug-plagued Footscray and surrounding suburbs.
Police plan to round up dealers and addicts who don't live in the area and ask magistrates to ban them from the entire 31 sq km of the City of Maribyrnong.
It covers Footscray, Braybrook, Yarraville, Maidstone, Tottenham, Seddon, Kingsville, West Footscray and Maribyrnong.
The scheme, which starts on Saturday, centres on Footscray where residents and businesses have been blighted by the heroin trade and related assaults, robberies and burglaries for 20 years.
If Project Reduction is a success it could be adopted in other problem areas such as Melbourne City, Richmond and Springvale.
The Sentencing Act gives magistrates the power to place offenders on good behaviour bonds with special conditions.
Those sent before courts under Projection Reduction who want to continue to enter the municipality would have to satisfy a strict set of requirements.
They would need to show they had immediate family in the area, required medical or legal advice, or needed to be there for any purpose or business that could not be conducted elsewhere.
In a six-month period last year, 60 per cent of the 388 offenders processed at Footscray police station were not from the City of Maribyrnong. Of those, 72 per cent had problems with drugs. The bans will apply to people convicted of drug dealing and possession.
But offenders including burglars, shoplifters and people with assault convictions would also be eligible for exclusion orders if they were found to be drug addicted.
Footscray locals are fed-up with dealers and addicts using their streets.
Constant police attention and a succession of blitzes over many years have failed to break the drug trade.
Sen-Det Brendan O'Mahoney of Footscray CIU, who developed the scheme, said it was aimed at breaking the networks that the heroin industry thrives on.
"If you take away the demand, hopefully that will lead to less dealers being in the area," he said.
He said Footscray was treated as a one-stop-shop where addicts steal and sell their stolen goods then meet dealers and shoot up again.
Sen-Det O'Mahoney said he could not say if the drug trade would move to other suburbs because no such scheme had operated before.
He said a dedicated researcher would be assigned to monitor whether crime dropped in Maribyrnong during the six-month trial and whether the exclusion orders had any effect in other areas.
Regardless, he said Footscray ratepayers and business operators deserved a break from the drug trade.
"It's pretty clear most of our offences occur to support drug habits," Sen-Det O'Mahoney said.
He said he hoped the plan would deprive dealers of a market and keep visiting addicts away from the culture generated by being in the company of other users.
Sen-Sgt Dave Byrt said Footscray was used by heroin addicts because it was close to the city and easy to get to by public transport.
The bans will apply to people convicted of drug dealing and possession.
But offenders including burglars, shoplifters and people with assault convictions would also be eligible for exclusion orders if they were found to be drug addicted.
Farewell Kyla-Jane
June 23, 2006
Long time Urban Seeder Kyla-Jane Hunt is flying the coop! Kyla is going to join the crew at Melbourne Cares in a few weeks time. We are going to miss her greatly and wish her all the best for her future endevours. This also means we have the difficult job of finding someone to work with us in a similar role to what Kyla was doing. We hope to have a position description available soon. In the mean time if you are interested please email Mark mark.pierson@urbanseed.org.
Pokies Problem Still Evident in State Budget
June 01, 2006
Community Advocate on Gambling
Media alert – 31 May 2006
Gambling Losses a “Sure Bet” in Budget
The State Government’s dependence on gambling funding is once again there for all to see in this year’s budget, according to the Community Advocate for Gambling.
Mr Andrew Manning said the State Government’s budget documents showed that gambling revenue was expected to rise 2.5 times faster than other sources over the next financial year.
Gambling revenue growth is projected to be 4.7% per annum while total tax growth is expected to rise at 1.9%.
Mr Manning said that real revenue from pokies will now exceed $1.3 billion this year when taking account of Casino Pokies taxes and federal GST on Pokies. The real percentage of pokie gambling taxes as a proportion of total tax take is then 12.18%.
“Next years budget figures show that the average player loss will be $1,979 and problem gamblers in total will lose $1.26 billion.
Yet with all of this revenue coming into government, there were no commitments made in the budget to tackling problem gambling.
“There needs to be a comprehensive strategy from the government to tackle problem gambling. We are past the time of simplistic, unconnected measures like a handful of machine caps that do not have any strategic context.
“We clearly need urgent integrated reforms that encompass the industry, player protections, community education, and government social and economic policy.
Mr Manning said that without an integrated approach on problem gambling, the current situation will be unsustainable.
“It makes far better economic sense to spend money on preventing problems rather than intervening at the problem stage. It is not good social policy either to allow ongoing harm to the community,” he said.
Mr Manning can be contacted for further comment on (03) 9347 3950 or caog@vlga.org.au .
Fundraising Concert
The Fundraising Concert competed with the Soccer last week, but we came through victorious, as did the Socceroos!
A big thanks to Peter Henley and the Bearbrass Chamber Ensemble for again puting on a great show. Also our thanks to Mallesons for sponsoring the evening. If you would like a program from the night which includes entries on the theme of 'Public Space', please get in touch with us.
Here are some photos
The Bearbrass Ensemble
Mark Pierson looking very official in Credo before the concert!
