NSW to trial pill-testing at Wollongong’s biggest music festival
For the first time, a government-run pill testing service will operate at a music festival. The trial, announced in December by the Minns government and led by NSW Health, aims to reduce drug-related harm by allowing attendees to check substances for purity and potency.
For the first time in New South Wales, festival attendees will have access to a government-run pill testing service at Wollongong’s biggest music festival: Yours & Owls.
The initiative, set to debut at the two-day event in March 2025, is part of a 12-month trial announced by the Minns government in December.
The government said it aimed to have 12 festivals take part over the summer festival season, but was delayed as NSW Health negotiated with festivals.
NSW Health will operate the service, allowing festival-goers to submit small samples of narcotics for analysis. Health professionals will test for purity, potency, and potential adulterants, with the goal of reducing harm and preventing overdose-related fatalities.
“The trial has a clear purpose — to reduce harm and save lives,” Premier Chris Minns said when announcing the program.
The initiative, which carries an estimated cost of $1 million, follows similar programs introduced in the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, and Victoria.
Ben Tillman, co-founder of Yours & Owls, welcomed the move. “Pill testing is something we have been fighting for, for some time now,” he said.
“While Yours & Owls maintains a zero-tolerance policy to illegal drugs, we are realists and see the abstinence-only approach as unhelpful. Pill Testing is not a panacea.”
The testing service will be housed within the festival’s medical tent, where attendees will also have access to trained health workers and peer support personnel.
Despite the harm reduction measures, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park emphasised the risks associated with illicit drug use. “Let me be clear, no level of illicit drug use is safe, and pill testing services do not provide a guarantee of safety,” he said.
“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.”
The government’s decision comes after a decades-long push by drug reform advocates, where music festivals have been at the centre of concerns about drug-related deaths. Past events have seen heightened police presence that some critics say contributes to unsafe drug consumption practices.
Festival organisers have cautioned that while an amnesty area will be set up around the testing site, standard drug laws remain in effect. NSW Police will maintain a presence at the event, including the possibility of drug detection dog operations and strip searches.
“Ultimately, we ask individuals to take responsibility for themselves and their decision-making to ensure they have a great time safely,” Tillman said.
“We also encourage anyone who finds themselves or their mates in trouble to seek medical assistance immediately; there will be no judgment, you won’t get into trouble.”
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