Palaszczuk government signs off on pilling testing for music festival, Brisbane’s inner-city

Pill-testing services will be rolled out at Queensland music festivals and Brisbane’s inner city after the Palaszczuk government signed off on the controversial scheme.

Pill testing will be rolled out in Queensland at music festivals and Brisbane’s inner city at fixed and mobile sites – making the Sunshine State one of the first to commit to the practice.

The Palaszczuk government has signed off on the controversial scheme, with Heath Minister Yvette D’Ath saying in a statement “we don’t want people ending up in our emergency departments or, worse, losing their life”.

“It is important to note pill-testing services do not promote that drugs are safe,” she said.

The confirmation comes about six months after Ms D’Ath revealed during estimates the risks and benefits of such a scheme were being considered.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath.

Fixed and mobile testing sites will be rolled out across the state under the new pill testing regime.

Revellers will be able to get their illicit drugs chemically tested at the sites to determine if they contain any dangerous substances or chemical compounds.

Ms D’Ath said people would make better decisions if they were “equipped with unbiased information”.

“Drug testers can also influence a drug taker’s behaviour, making them more likely to dispose of substances, decrease the amount they take, tell their peers and be more likely to seek help if they or others are experiencing adverse effects,” the Minister said.

“The other benefit to pill testing is it provides critical information to law enforcement and health services about high-risk substances in the community or drug trends.”

The government will soon go out to market to find a pill testing provider, while new protocols will be developed to determine how the program will work.

Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic said the move was aimed at explaining the risks of drug taking and reducing harm.

“We need more in our toolkit to address these harms than ‘just saying no’, because right or wrong, people will experiment regardless,” he said.

“The reality is people will encounter and experiment with drugs, including when they go to nightclubs or attend festivals – and these drugs can harm or kill.

“Queensland parents worried about their child potentially taking drugs should be reassured that drug checking can prevent serious harm and save lives.”