A group of concerned Springvale leaders have started a petition to relocate a State Government needle and syringe exchange service away from schools and businesses in the bustling precinct.
They have raised alarming concerns, claiming needles and syringes have been discarded on footpaths, on the doorsteps of their businesses and thrown onto school grounds.
The Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) is located at Monash Health on Buckingham Avenue right across from St Joseph’s Primary School and within metres of Springvale Shopping Centre and popular Asian restaurants.
A Monash Health spokesperson says its site has security personnel that check the site daily for “dangerous objects and has appropriate sharps disposal bins” to keep the community safe.
It has provided ongoing drug services for decades but according to locals, the installation of a new 24/7 outdoor vending machine providing free or low-cost syringes has increased the drug issues in Springvale.
Richard Lim OAM, a former Greater Dandenong deputy mayor, owns a pharmacy of more than two decades about 350 metres from the exchange site.
He says Springvale is infected with syringes found behind shops, on the footpaths, and inside the toilets of the multi-level car park.
“Every shop behind the shopping centre has syringes on the ground.
“What I have witnessed previously was very minimal. But because of the syringe vending machine, it has increased and since November until now, it has worsened.
“Drug addicts came to my pharmacy and cause a lot of trouble as well. They are overdosed or hallucinating or in euphoria.
“They would come in screaming, shouting and make a scene.”
Lim says fearful customers were unwilling to attend his pharmacy and questions the rationale of safer injecting for people who use drugs over the rest of the community’s safety.
Meanwhile, St Joseph’s Primary School has expressed its deep concerns on behalf of the parents and church communities.
In a recent letter, it stated that the installation of the needle dispensing machine the school community has experienced a “disturbing increase in unsafe and distressing incidents.“
It includes cardboard overdose kits thrown over the fence into the Prep outdoor area, individuals injecting drugs near the school office, multiple instances of individuals overdosed in the nearby Woolworths car park, as well as parents, staff and students feeling unsafe by intimidating or erratic behaviours in the car park and nearby streets.
Staff are reportedly forced out of classrooms to stop individuals from injecting near school grounds, as well as conducting daily “needle sweeps“ on school grounds and surrounding streets.
“These are not hypothetical concerns — they are real and ongoing, directly impacting the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff, and families.“
Prominent leaders such as Loc Lam OAM have formed part of a group calling for the program’s relocation.
“Personally, I’m not against the program. We want to support the people however I want this to be relocated because it’s close to the school and shopping centre.
“We prepared the petition to request a relocation because it’s not suitable for the children and our community.
“I can get few thousand (signatures) easily because we have the full support of everyone in the community.”
Springvale North Ward councillor Sean O’Reilly says since the installation of the 24/7 outdoor syringe vending machine at the site, he has received an increasing volume of complaints from traders, schools and residents.
“Some of that are needles, abhorrent behaviour near the traders, that sort of drug-associated activities.
“Most people using the drug services there are responsible, but we’ve got a certain percentage causing issues for the community.
“We’re urging Monash Health to consult with the community about what’s happening in mitigating those collateral impacts.“
The NSP program operate through a range of different service providers such as pharmacies, youth organisations, community health services hospitals and drug treatment agencies.
Cr O’Reilly notes within Springvale, Monash Health is the only fixed site provider and according to the state government map, Springvale Plaza is also another provider.
“Dandenong has six pharmacies that operate a needle exchange-problem. In Springvale it is concentrated in one site.
“We have cheap food, cheap drugs and drug services.”
The group has held meetings with Mulgrave MP Eden Foster and will seek her to table its petition at State Parliament.
