Ambulance Victoria willing to consider pill testing push as paramedics call for change

Ambulance Victoria has encouraged the state government to take a closer look at pill testing after its paramedics voted heavily in favour of the controversial reform.

Ambulance Victoria has encouraged the state government to take a closer look at pill testing after its paramedics voted heavily in favour of the controversial reform.

Amid a summer marred by drug overdose deaths, Ambulance Victoria boss Tony Walker said his organisation was “supportive of harm minimisation approaches to anything related to drugs”.

“We know there’s evidence out there with regard to the role of pill testing,” he said.

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“It’s not a panacea … We believe everything needs to be looked at in the context of harm minimisation but we’re supportive of the current approach of government to managing that.”

Asked whether Ambulance Victoria would support a pill testing trial, Mr Walker said others were better placed to judge its merits, but that “we’re certainly open to being part of any conversations”.

Ambulance Victoria chief Tony Walker. Picture: Julian Smith/AAP

“We’re very supportive of anything that reduces harm in the community to people out there that we’re seeing the impacts of drugs every day on,” Mr Walker said.

His comments follow a recent survey by Ambulance Employees Australia in which more than 90 per cent of its members supported pill testing.

The state government is opposed to the idea, saying Victoria Police has advised it would give drug users “a false and potentially fatal sense of security”.

But the City of Port Phillip has pushed to hold Victoria’s first trial after several overdose deaths at music festivals over summer.

A group of crossbench MPs — led by Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and Greens leader Samantha Ratnam — are also leading calls for change.

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