The Victorian Greens have welcomed Melbourne’s new Flinders Street Community Health Hub finally opening, but say Labor’s ongoing refusal to establish a second medically supervised injecting room in the CBD is leaving a critical gap in Victoria’s response to drug harms and safety.
The new hub, operated by cohealth, will provide essential healthcare, addiction treatment and social support to some of Melbourne’s most vulnerable people, with a trial of the opioid treatment hydromorphone set to begin next year.
The Greens say these services are desperately needed, but they are not a substitute for a medically supervised injecting facility, which was recommended by experts and rejected by the Labor Government in 2024.
The announcement comes as new Coroners Court data reveals 632 Victorians died from drug overdoses in 2025, more than double the state’s annual road toll.
The Greens are calling for an urgent expansion of evidence-based harm reduction services, including multiple discrete medically supervised injecting rooms in drug harm hotspots across the state alongside greater investment in addiction treatment and rehabilitation.
As stated by Victorian Greens drug harm reduction spokesperson Aiv Puglielli:
“We need more community health services but they’re not a substitute for medically supervised injecting rooms. Labor ignored the experts and walked away from a proven, life-saving service because they were more worried about politics than saving lives.”
“Last year, 632 Victorians died from drug overdoses. Labor can’t claim to be doing everything it can to prevent these deaths while refusing to provide the very services its own experts recommended.
“There is no substitute for more supervised injecting facilities. There is no substitute for evidence based care and support. Hydromorphone works – so why the trial? 30 people a year for 2 years isn’t even a drop in the ocean, it’s an admission of embarrassment by Labor that they don’t have the guts to stand up for people experiencing immense stigma who deserve our care.”
As stated by the Leader of the Victorian Greens and Member for Melbourne, Ellen Sandell:
“We all want Melbourne to be a safe, welcoming place for everyone who lives, works and visits here but for too long Labor has ignored the evidence about what actually keeps people safe and builds vibrant communities.
“We’ve waited years for this hub and while it’s a welcome step forward, it is another example of Labor stopping short of what the experts recommend. You can’t claim to be serious about community safety while refusing to invest in the proven, life-saving services that people need.”
