Analysis of trends in Australian attitudes towards Supervised Injecting Facilities

The Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) was the first facility of its kind to open in the e English-speaking world and the Southern hemisphere in 2001. At the time of opening, the MSIC faced legal challenges and opposition from national (the Prime Minister in office at the time) and international (the Vatican and International Narcotics Control Board) organisations. Since this time a second service – the Medically Supervised Injecting Room - opened in Melbourne in 2018. An additional facility has been approved for Melbourne but has not yet opened. These services are initially opened on a trial basis to allow for independent evaluation of their impact in minimizing harm. Media reports often state community opposition to these services. This project aims to look at public opinion towards supervised injecting facilities (SIFs) using a large representative survey of Australians – the National Drug Strategy Household Survey. It aims to characterize those who are supportive, those who are ambivalent, and those who are not supportive of SIFs and determine whether there are differences across these groups. It also aims to assess trends in public opinion over time to see if opinions change as these services are introduced in Australia.