Victoria’s first pill-testing site kicks off at Beyond The Valley

Victoria’s first mobile pill-testing site will operate at a four-day festival near Geelong this week, with the service set to test up to 200 drug samples a day … but only until 7pm.

Victoria’s first pill-testing site will operate at a festival outside Geelong this week, with the controversial service set to test up to 200 drug samples a day. However, it will only run until 7pm.

The state government announced in November Beyond The Valley (BTV) would be the first of 10 Victorian music festivals to trial onsite pill testing.

The service will operate across the four days of the festival, between 1pm and 7pm, with test results returned in approximately 30 minutes.

Beyond The Valley will be the first of 10 Victorian music festivals to trial onsite pill testing. Picture: Supplied.

On a tour of the festival site on Friday, acting Mental Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas did not confirm whether officials would consider extending pill-testing operating hours.

“(Beyond The Valley) is our first trial site and it really will help us understand what and where the demand is,” she said.

“This trial has been informed by the experiences of other festivals in Australia.”

Ms Thomas said she felt confident staff had the resources to meet testing demands.

“At Beyond the Valley we have the capacity to analyse up to 200 samples a day,” she said.

“We know that around Australia on average it’s about 80 samples that are tested.”

The four-day event is expected to attract 35,000 festivalgoers, making it the largest event in Australia to offer the testing service.

Ms Thomas said she wanted to send a “very clear” message to all festival patrons that accessing pill testing was not illegal.

“We are working with Victoria Police to make sure that we get the balance right between keeping festivalgoers safe but also ensuring that we don’t do anything that would deter (them) from accessing vital lifesaving information through the pill-testing service,” she said.

Ms Thomas said patrons would have the opportunity to receive advice from a staff member at the testing site about how to stay safe if they chose to consume the drug.

“This might be the first conversation that a young person has ever had about drug use,” she said.

“It’s a really great opportunity to have a comprehensive conversation about ways in which that young person might choose safer options.”

Senior chemist Jacob Fry, drug checking director Sarah Hiley and Acting Minister for Mental Health Mary-Anne Thomas at the pill-testing trial facilities at Beyond The Valley. Picture: Alison Wynd

The pill testing service is being led by Youth Support and Advocacy Service, in partnership with The Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria.

The Loop Australia’s drug-checking director Sarah Hiley said any high-risk substances detected would be flagged with festival management to issue rapid advice to festivalgoers.

“If we find a potentially dangerous substance, we will convene a group of experts within our service to make a decision … about the severity of that alert,” she said.

“Once that decision is made, we will work very closely with our festival organisers to work out the messaging we need to get out.

“The main priority is to ensure that patrons are safe.”

The pill-testing service is being led by Youth Support and Advocacy Service, in partnership with The Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria. Picture: Alison Wynd

The Victorian Department of Health will also use the information to issue statewide alerts of any hazardous or unexpected substances.

The state government’s pill-testing service, also known as drug checking, will attend 10 festivals and events throughout the 18-month trial, which kicks off on Saturday at Beyond The Valley festival.

The trial follows the recent passing of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Pill Testing) Bill 2024, which made Victoria the first jurisdiction in Australia to have dedicated legislation to support pill testing.

Originally published as Victoria’s first pill-testing site kicks off at Beyond The Valley