NSW government releases ‘high risk’ festival list
Laneway music festival leads a list of 14 events that the NSW government will apply a strict new licensing regime to in a bid to save lives. Find out who is on the hit list.
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Laneway music festival leads a list of 14 events that the NSW government will apply a strict new licensing regime to in a bid to save lives.
The government has whittled the list of festivals targeted down to 14 and will announce them to the public today in a bid to ease concerns in the music industry that the whole scene would face a crackdown.
The announcement came as police charged two women with drug supply during day one of an operation at the Secret Garden Music Festival in Camden.
Fifteen people were issued criminal infringement notices, and police issued cannabis cautions to 16 revellers.
Ten people were issued Field Court Attendance Notices for possess prohibited drug and supply prohibited drug. They are all due to appear at Picton Local Court on Thursday 28 March 2019.
The 14 festivals on the list will now have to provide a detailed safety plan to the government in order to continue operation.
This includes consultation with police and NSW health to ensure the festivals are adequately staffed in a bid to prevent drug deaths
They will also need to pay a $650 licensing fee, with the list to be regularly reviewed.
The festivals on the list are: Days Like This (Camperdown), Transmission (Olympic Park), Up Down (Newcastle), Defqon 1 (Castlereagh), Subsonic (Monkerai), This That (Newcastle), Knockout Games of Destiny (Olympic Park), Lost Paradise (Glenworth Valley), FOMO (Parramatta), Electric Gardens (Centenial Park), HTID (Olympic Park) Rolling Loud (Olympic Park), Laneway (Rozelle) and Ultra (Paramatta).
Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said today the ‘hit list’ should be used to trial pill testing.
“Instead of targeting a particular type of music festival in an attempt to shut them down by stealth, the Premier should work with them to introduce pill testing and other harm reduction measures,” she said.
The 14 festivals are considered “high risk”, which means a serious drug related illness or death has occurred in the past three years or where the independent Liquor and Gaming Authority has determined there is a significant risk.
“The NSW Government wants music festivals to thrive – but serious drug related illnesses and deaths have demonstrated that we need to help make a small number of them feel safer,” Mr Toole said.
The government will now work with the high risk festivals to make sure they have safety arrangements in place.
Several rallies and protests have been held to oppose the licensing regime, with rallies claiming all music festivals would be targeted.
Those deemed high risk will need to pay a $650 fee and will need to put forward a safety plan that is tailored to their own event.
There are about 80 music festivals run across the state.
The list of high risk festivals will be reviewed regularly and if festivals can improve their safety arrangements they can be removed from the list.
Originally published as NSW government releases ‘high risk’ festival list
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