First NSW music festival to allow pill testing revealed

Pill testing will go ahead for the first time in NSW at the Yours and Owls music festival in Wollongong next month, as the Minns government embarks on a landmark 12-month trial which will see attendees given an amnesty to test the purity and potency of illicit drugs.

The announcement, which comes after the government committed to a trial following its drug summit late in 2024, marks a major win for drug reform advocates who have long called for pill testing in NSW, and will see the state join the ACT, Victoria and Queensland in allowing the service.

Wollongong’s Yours and Owls festival.Credit: VisitNSW

The co-founder of Yours and Owls, Ben Tillman, said he “enthusiastically” welcomed being the first festival to take part in the trial, saying it was “something we have been fighting for, for some time now”.

“While Yours and Owls maintains a zero-tolerance policy to illegal drugs, we are realists and see the abstinence-only approach as unhelpful,” he said.

“Pill testing is not a panacea. However, it is a proven harm-minimisation strategy that has been successfully implemented in many countries overseas for the past 20 or so years.”

NSW will be the first state to conduct pill testing entirely in-house, with departmental health staff charged with testing substances for purity, potency and adulterants, as well as providing peer support including the “limitations of drug checking to festivalgoers”.

“People will never be advised that a drug is safe to use. They’ll be advised that all drug use carries risks, and that the only way to avoid this risk is to not consume drugs,” a government spokesman said.

The government has been at pains to point out that drugs would remain prohibited, and police would be present at the festival. But NSW Health said it was working with police “to ensure that patrons can access the drug checking service without concern”.

However while the festival, on March 1 and 2, will include an amnesty area “within and directly around the testing site”, Yours and Owls warned festivalgoers police may still undertake drug dog and strip search operations.

“Ultimately, we ask individuals to take responsibility for themselves and their decision-making to ensure they have a great time safely,” Tillman said.

The government announced the trial in December, saying it aimed to have 12 festivals take part over a one-year period. It was initially due to roll out over the summer festival season, but was delayed as NSW Health negotiated with festivals.

The government said it was “working with other festivals on their prospective participation”.

Health Minister Ryan Park said the service would “not be made available to suppliers” and that “police will continue to target them”.

“Let me be clear, no level of illicit drug use is safe … however, this trial has been designed to provide people with the necessary information to make more informed decisions about drug use, with the goal of reducing drug-related harm and saving lives,” he said.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.