NSW government spent $500k keeping revellers safe at ‘extreme risk’ music festivals
The government spent $500,000 on measures to keep revellers safe at three ‘extreme risk’ music festivals at the weekend. Despite this, one remains in a coma and 24 others were rushed to hospital with police revealing they made 14 arrests at last night’s Rolling Loud event at Sydney Olympic Park.
HEALTH Minister Brad Hazzard has revealed the government has spent half a million dollars over the last 10 days on measures to keep revellers safe at three ‘extreme risk’ music festivals.
Speaking in North Sydney this morning, Mr Hazzard confirmed 25 people between the ages of 16-25 were rushed to hospital across the three festivals over the weekend - the majority came from Saturday’s Hardcore Till I Die festival at Homebush.
He said 14 of those required “extremely high level medical retrieval response on site”.
Eight were taken to hospital in an induced coma and one remains on life support.
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“The focus in the last few months has been on the very sad deaths of five young people over the last few months at music festivals - but this now tells us with the new systems the state government has put in place that we have a very serious problem,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Young people are continuing to take drugs and continuing to take them at such a level that we actually had to get 14 of them receiving extremely high level medical response that only medical retrieval teams can offer.”
Mr Hazzard said he estimated the government has spent half a million dollars on measures to protect revellers over the last 10 days.
“Some might challenge that - as Health Minister I have to say if we keep... anybody alive, the money is money well spent,” he said.
However, Mr Hazzard said he would be recommending “strongly” that festival organisers should bear the costs after March 1, when a tough new regime is rolled out.
At that time, event organisers will have to apply for a specific liquor licence, similar to those for pubs and clubs, for each music festival they hold.
Each application will then need to be endorsed by a panel of experts, including NSW Health, police and liquor and gaming officials. Events with a poor track record will face greater oversight.
Medical retrieval member Dr Sarah Coombes said that while some revellers did get the government’s message, there were “a number of patients were treated that likely would not have survived this event had the increased medical support not been on site”.
“Or if they did survive, (they) would not have survived neurologically intact - so normal, functioning people,” she added.
She said most revellers who were taken to hospital were now fine but one patient remained on life support.
“Until they’re woken up we can’t know for sure how they’re going to be long-term,” she said.
Fourteen people were charged with drug-related offences at the Rolling Loud music festival held at Sydney Olympic Park overnight.
A further nine people have been issued with drug criminal infringement notices, four people were issued cannabis cautions, six juvenile cautions were also issued, and one warning was given to a juvenile.
271 people were searched with 14 people charged, of those, 13 people were charged with possess prohibited drug and the remaining person was charged with supply prohibited drugs.
Mr Hazzard also vowed to speak with organisers of the Hardcore Till I Die festival about ejecting a Daily Telegraph journalist from the event.
“In my view the media should have been allowed as they are anywhere - it’s an important part of democracy and oversight,” he said.
“I’m very, very surprised and disturbed that any journalist would have been removed.
“It’s just not appropriate, it’s not right and we all have an entitlement to see what’s going on inside the festivals.”
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