Burnet Institute analysis on safe injecting services in the ACT shows they will save dollars and lives

Media release                                            28^th January 2026

Burnet Institute analysis on safe injecting services in the ACT shows they will save dollars and lives

Today’s release of Burnet Institute led modelling of the costs and benefits of Supervised Injecting Facilities (SIFs) in Canberra is yet another reminder to get moving on establishing SIFs in the ACT.

“This modelling, commissioned by ACT Health in partnership with the Australian National University (ANU) demonstrates again that SIFs can and do save lives and significantly reduce health care costs for Governments,” Alice Salomon, Head of Advocacy, Uniting NSW.ACT said.

“The researchers considered new interventions, like safe injecting spaces in the ACT, and found them “to be cost-effective, even in a smaller jurisdiction like the ACT”.

“It should be noted that the ACT already has enabling legislation to deliver SIFs in Canberra – legislation that has already been passed by the ACT Parliament,” Alice said.

In 2001, Uniting’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in Kings Cross was opened - the first of its kind in the English-speaking world.  

“Nearly 25 years, 1.34 million injections on site, over 12,000 overdoses with not a single death, more than 26,650 referrals into various forms of treatment care and support. Ours is a welcoming, useful, pragmatic service that saves and changes lives for the better.

There are more than 150 supervised injecting facilities like MSIC in Kings Cross already operating around the world - in Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark, Canada, Portugal, Iceland, Mexico, Colombia and France, amongst others.

“The need in the ACT for such a service, or number of smaller co-located services, has never been greater,” Alice said.

“Last year’s report from the Pennington Institute revealed that nearly four times as many people died from unintentional drug-induced deaths in 2021 than died in road accidents in the ACT- the highest per capita rate of overdose deaths in Australia.

“One simple, sensible, compassionate, and proven harm reduction measure is to get on with delivering appropriate safe injecting services in Canberra,” Alice said.

“This model of co-located, small, supervised injecting services in the right places would benefit the surrounding community, as well as the individual.

“It’s been over two years since changes to the ACT’s Drugs of Dependence legislation which has enabled a health and wellbeing response to drug use and dependency, but everyone in the sector acknowledges there is much more to do to help keep people in Canberra safe – including finally establishing these SIFs.

“Canberra needs to create a model that works for Canberra, that can be just as successful as that of our service in Kings Cross but co-located within existing Needle Syringe Programmes (NSPs) utilising existing staff and infrastructure – reducing cost without reducing effectiveness.

“Access to ACT specific models of supervised injecting will save the lives of Canberrans,” Alice said.

The results of the study appeared in the Medical Journal Addiction.

Uniting runs the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre and has spearheaded the Fair Treatment campaign for fairer drug laws for over six years.

About Uniting

Uniting NSW.ACT contributes to the work of the Uniting Church in NSW and the ACT, through social justice advocacy, community services and spiritual care. We provide services for people through all ages and stages of life, and drive solutions to systemic issues so people experiencing disadvantage can live their best lives. Our purpose is to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice. We value diversity and always welcome everyone exactly as they are.