Tuesday, 7 July, 2026
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Tips for feline friendliness RSPCA community outreach team leader Jess, with Shabira and toy animal Woody, gave kids the lowdown on how to relate to their pet cats. The cat safety session designed for families was held in Springvale last Friday. TURN INSIDE FOR MORE PHOTOS (Stewart Chambers: 563391)
Jess (Community Outreach Team Leader RSPCA) with Woody the toy cat and Shabira (563391)
Traders fight back The rallying call is getting louder against Springvale’s Needle and Syringe Program. A chorus of traders say they want the NSP moved to an “appropriate location” that’s far from the suburb’s CBD, claiming it’s done damage to businesses, schools and the community. “We don’t want to be another Victoria Street,” said a local leader – referring to the troubled shopping area near the state’s only medicallysupervised injection facility in North Richmond. Traders tell tales of rubbish set alight in su-
permarket trolleys at night, human faeces and syringes on the footpaths, rough sleepers, assaults, robberies, brazen drug-dealers and public toilets visited by injecting users. Monash Health, which runs the facility in Buckingham Avenue, says it has security personnel, checks daily for dangerous objects and has sharps disposal bins. Local ward councillor Sean O’Reilly says relocating the NSP was “classic nimbyism”. He said a “more reasonable proposition” was
to expand NSPs to other sites outside the Springvale catchment such as Notting Hill and Syndal. “Springvale is willing to bear its fair share of impacts from this service, but we’re overburdened with these problems,” Cr O’Reilly said. Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) president Chris Christoforou said spreading more NSPs over multiple locations would be a benefit. He said NSP’s location was chosen because parts of Springvale had high levels of injecting
drug use for a long time. “NSPs need to be readily accessible to people who would benefit from the service. “If the NSP is moved, it’s unlikely that the people who use the service would move on.” A State Government spokesperson said the NSP was an important public health service, with state-funded safety measures such as syringe disposal services. TURN INSIDE FOR MORE ON THE STORY
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Belinda Wilson MP
Labor Member for Narre Warren North
03 9706 0566 Belinda.Wilson@parliament.vic.gov.au belindawilson.com.au belindawilsonvic Shop 101, Endeavour Hills Shopping Centre, Matthew Flinders Ave, Endeavour Hills.
Your local voice in Parliament Authorised by B Wilson MP, Shop 101, Endeavour Hills Shopping Centre, Matthew Flinders Ave, Endeavour Hills. 12840849-JV05-26