Tom Elliott rips into the Greens over ‘dumb’ proposal, while Fiona Patten distances herself from controversial post
Tom Elliott has been left horrified by a proposal from the Victorian Greens that would allow teenagers and pregnant women to inject drugs at the controversial North Richmond supervised injecting facility.
The call to remove restrictions on who can use the facility comes after a 15-year-old died in his home near the facility on Sunday.
It’s understood the teenager had been using heroin in the days before his death.
“We don’t yet know how this teenager died, but this awful incident reminds us that drug-use has no age limit and neither should harm-reduction,” Greens spokesperson for health, Dr Tim Read, said in a statement.
Tom Elliott was left stunned by their proposal.
“It is unbelievable,” the 3AW Drive host said.
“I’m almost shaking about this.
“If the Greens have their way, 15-year-olds – who aren’t allowed to buy alcohol – will be allowed to go in and take heroin.
“It’s so dumb I can’t believe it.
“I just cannot believe that a political party, which gets about 10 per cent of the vote here in Victoria, honestly thinks that underage kids and pregnant women should be allowed access to drugs if they want them.
“We’re gradually losing sight of what is right, what is wrong, what is legal and what is illegal.”
Reason Party leader Fiona Patten is a major supporter of the supervised injecting facility, but said the Greens had gone too far.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” she told Tom Elliott when asked about their proposal.
“To be kind, it’s naive.”
Ms Patten, meanwhile, distanced herself from a controversial poster she shared on social media at the weekend.
It led to Neil Mitchell telling her to “grow up” on Monday.
Click PLAY below to hear Tom Elliott’s editorial
Click PLAY below to hear Fiona Patten on 3AW Drive