Pill testing goes ahead at Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival on Southern Downs despite conservative opposition

Conservative critics have been told to ‘grow up’ as a Queensland music festival becomes ground zero for the biggest pill testing operation in Australian history.

• Pill testing: Cases for and against

A piece of wilderness in the heart of Queensland’s Southern Downs region has become ground zero for the biggest pill testing operation in Australian history this weekend.

Shrugging off loud, conservative critics, Rabbits Eat Lettuce festivalgoers jumped at the opportunity to have drugs tested at a Pill Testing Australia tent – the first time ever nationally that a multi-day festival has supported such a service.

Ebony Greening, 22, of Nambour, and Dassarn Tarbutt, 24, of Maleny, were found dead in their tents at this same festival in 2019.

The coroner found they both had a lethal cocktail of drugs in their systems when they died.

Pill Testing Australia clinical lead David Caldicott would not reveal how many pills were tested at the festival at Cherrabah Resort at Elbow Valley, or what was found – other than to say “there is a little bit that is unusual, and that will come out in due course”.

Clinical lead for the PTA site David Caldicott and PTA volunteer Erica Franklin Rabbits Eat Lettuce music festival. Picture, John Gass

Queensland Health revealed, however, that test results and data around the number of people who used the facility would be properly assessed and released on Tuesday.

“We’ve had an enthusiastic uptake of the service,” Mr Caldicott said.

“It’s definitely being used, and the substantial team we have here is being stretched.”

When The Courier-Mail visited the festival on Friday, there were constant groups going in and out of the pill testing area. At 1pm, when the testing crew were to go to lunch, they had to extend opening hours because of how busy they were, instead closing for just a 15-minute break.

The controversial access to testing illicit drugs has divided the political spectrum since the Miles government committed $1m to rolling out the service. As well as the testing at the Rabbits Eat Lettuce Festival, the state government will support the creation of two fixed-site testing facilities.

Rabbits Eat Lettuce music festival. Picture, John Gass

Health authorities say further details about these sites will be made public in the coming weeks but The Courier-Mail can reveal one of those testing facilities will be located in Bowen Hills, in Brisbane’s inner-north.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman spruiked the move this month as an “ innovative” approach to reduce harm backed by a variety of drug support advocacy groups, citing the more than 2230 national deaths linked to drugs in 2021.

Supporting the testing resources comes a year after state legislation was passed to relax laws for those caught carrying a small quantity of substances including heroin, cocaine or ice.

The LNP vehemently opposed the testing, lashing the government for another supposed “soft on drugs” measure, but this was mocked by Greens MP Michael Berkman, who told his conservative rivals to “grow up and get behind harm reduction measures like pill testing”.

Maleny man Dassarn Tarbutt, 24.

Ebony Greening.

At its launch at Rabbits Eat Lettuce, the initiative was positively received by punters who said they had seen these services overseas and it was high time they were available in Queensland. Mr Caldicott said people had been responding positively.

“The level of gratitude and enthusiasm for the service suggests that it would be a very strong uptake as it expands,” he said.

Jessica Crouch from the Gold Coast said she was happy to see pill testing at the festival.

“We saw that and I said this is amazing, we’ve been to Tomorrowland (festival in Belgium) and we thought Australia needs this,” she said.

“We are very grateful it’s a thing, we don’t want to see anybody get hurt, if you are going to do it, do it responsibly.

“It’s a really good movement from Queensland. It might make people stop if they don’t know what’s in it.”

Pill Testing Australia volunteer Erica Franklin, who has lived experience with drug use, said it was the obvious step to reducing harm.

Greens MP Michael Berkman has told his conservative rivals to “grow up and get behind harm reduction measures like pill testing”.

“What we are doing is making sure these substances are what they say on the label, because we have an illegal illicit drug market,” she said.

“We are testing them, we are seeing what’s inside them and we are having … harm reduction conversations to make sure they don’t land up taking a combination that can be quite risky.”

On Friday, punters were arriving from all over Australia to come to the festival. Shenaye Johnston from Tweed Heads said she loved it so far.

“I love the disconnection, the stepping away from normal life, reality,” she said. “You get to dance all the energy out of your body … you’ve got no responsibilities … no work.”

Ms Crouch said the festival was all about community.

“We know all our neighbours’ tents – within 10 minutes of setting up everybody says hello,” she said.