Experts warn of the ’potential for more tragedies’ ahead of festival season

The call comes as experts issue a grim warning that tragedies are “on the table” if one key demand isn’t addressed.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has requested interim advice about drug reform in the lead-up to festival season as experts warn “tragedies at festivals” are “on the table” this summer.

Labor MP Michael Holland and independent Alex Greenwich are among a group that put forth an open letter to NSW Premier Chris Minns pushing for pill testing to be introduced ahead of festival season.

Health Services Union secretary Gerard Hayes, the Uniting Church, Unharm and Labor MPs Sonia Hornery, Cameron Murphy and Anthony D’Adam have also backed the letter.

The letter claimed “we cannot wait for more reports, reviews and delayed government responses when we know we could be saving lives now”.

Experts have issued a fresh push for pill testing to be implemented in NSW. Picture: NewsWire / Valeriu Campan.

Pill testing was one of the core topics discussed at the drug summit, which was led by former NSW Liberal leader John Brogden and former Labor deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt over four days in November and December.

Mr Greenwich said the time to act “is now” to prevent “another parent losing a child”.

“Summer is already upon us and we know it will be another busy period for festivals,” he said.

“Harm minimisation is the way forward to prevent young people from dying and from another parent losing a child.

“We know this would be relatively fast and easy to implement – other jurisdictions are doing it, why can’t NSW?”

MP Alex Greenwich said the time to act ‘is now’. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Victoria has already committed to a pill testing trial over the summer following the success of similar trials in ACT and Queensland.

Harm Reduction Australia president Gino Vumbaca on Wednesday urged the government to give pill testing the green light sooner rather than later, claiming the state has “seen enough tragedies”.

“We don’t want to see tragedies, we’ve seen enough tragedies in NSW in particular,” Mr Vumbaca said.

“To sit on your hands and do nothing when someone’s offering you a free service makes no sense.

“The potential for more tragedies at festivals is what’s on the table.”

Labor MP Michael Holland is pushing for pill testing. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

Harm Reduction Australia president Gino Vumbaca urged the government to green light a pill testing trial. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Vumbaca said he’d put forth a proposition prior to the summit that if pill testing was strongly endorsed across the four days he would put on a trial for free.

“We’ll do it for free, we don’t need money,” Mr Vumbaca said.

He expressed concern that the summer festival season would be over by the time the report was released, questioning why the government wouldn’t go ahead when “we know the exact answer” about whether pill testing would reduce harm already.

“There’s no reason whatsoever not to do it given the strength of the summit,” he said.

“But why wait until the summer is over?”

He said the organisation would need a week or two notice at most to put on a trial.

“We’re ready to go,” he said.

“We’ve upgraded equipment, it just makes no sense to hold back now.

“We just need you to say yes.”

He also noted the upgraded equipment allowed experts to measure the purity of substances.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said no decision had been made on pill testing. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Greens drug harm reduction spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann said “three other Labor state premiers didn’t need a drug summit to act on pill testing”.

“Tens of thousands of people in this state will consume recreational drugs over the summer,” Ms Faehrmann said.

“With an increasing number of drugs being found cut with dangerous synthetic opiates, pill-testing services are needed urgently to save lives.

“Whether drug checking services are offered or not, people will still consume illegal drugs, so let’s make sure they’re as informed and supported as they can be when they do.

“By offering drug-checking services at music festivals, young people get access to health professionals as well as vital information as to what they’re about to consume.”

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park requested “interim advice” following the summit, a move understood to be partly due to the approach of festival season.

“At the conclusion of the drug summit, Minister Park asked the co-chairs to provide interim advice for cabinet to consider ahead of their final report to be provided early next year,” a spokesperson for Mr Park said.

However, Mr Park on Wednesday emphasised no decision had been made on pill testing, doubling down on his vow to wait for the report from Ms Tebbutt and Mr Brogden before making any decisions despite Dr Holland’s stance.

“MPs are no different to community members. They have different views on a very, very complex area of drug policy,” Mr Park said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“That complexity was acknowledged by a number of speakers at last week’s summit, and what government will do is wait till we get that report from John Brogden and Carmel Tebbutt.

“We’ll give that consideration, and then we’ll make an announcement if and when in the near future.

“But government has not made a decision in relation to pill testing at the moment.”

Mr Park last week told the summit the report to be produced by Mr Brogden and Ms Tebbutt would not be given any “guard rails”.

“They’ve been given no limitations,” Mr Park said.

“They’ve been given no set agenda. While there are things that we will agree and not agree on – absolutely – that report will be handed to government in a faithful way.

“The government will then, across its portfolios and ministers, engage, review and report back, importantly, in a very timely manner.”

Mr Park also said the report would be made public once handed down.

Originally published as Experts warn of the ’potential for more tragedies’ ahead of festival season