Music Festival Pill Testing

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:18): I seek leave to make a brief exploration before addressing a question to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing on the subject of pill testing.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: This year, at the Groovin the Moo ACT music festival, Pill Testing Australia were able to trial pill testing. In that trial, 171 samples were tested on behalf of 234 participants. About 35 volunteer doctors, chemists and counsellors worked on shifts during the trial to educate young people about drug use and its negative effects, one doctor even flying over from Perth to participate.

It was reported in The Guardian on 29 April this year that the lives of seven young people were potentially saved that weekend, at that pill testing at Groovin the Moo festival in Canberra which identified lethal substances. Patrons discarded their drugs after testing alerted them that their pills contained dangerous N-Ethylpentylone. MDA was, of course, the most common substance but it was also identified that cocaine, ketamine and methamphetamines were in the pills tested.

The doctor, well known to South Australians, who led Australia's first government-backed pill testing, Dr David Caldicott, has offered pill testing through Pill Testing Australia to any jurisdiction that wishes to take up the offer for free. Dr Caldicott stated:

Our goal is to ensure that people don't get hurt or killed consuming drugs.

And if we can change the way people are using drugs to start with, then we might be able to change their attitude to drugs in their entirety.

My question to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing is: is he familiar with the outcome of Pill Testing Australia's trials at Groovin the Moo in the ACT, and can he update the council on any drug-related health incidents that were as a result of Groovin the Moo here in South Australia this year?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:21): I thank the honourable member for her question. In relation to any events in South Australia, I am not aware of being advised of any adverse outcomes at the South Australian event but I will take that on notice and bring back an answer to the honourable member.

The Marshall Liberal government does not support pill testing at events. We believe that we need to send a clear message to people that illicit drugs are not safe. We believe that pill testing at events would give people a false sense of security in relation to illicit drugs. We will continue to monitor evidence-based research from around the world, but we are committed to implementing alternative strategies that can improve safety and reduce health outcomes at public events, including the planning and management of these events in close cooperation between event organisers, health, law enforcement and other agencies to minimise health and safety risks.

Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia, in collaboration with South Australia Police and other stakeholders, have developed safer music event guidelines to improve safety and reduce harm at events. I think it would be fair to say that the SA Police had a very strong and visible presence at this year's event.

The guidelines that I referred to urge organisers to be ready for adverse outcomes, particularly to have chill-out areas at events to provide well-ventilated, cool and quiet spaces for patrons to rest and recover, supervised by staff with first aid training. It recommends the availability of free drinking water at multiple locations within events that are easy to access, and dedicated, equipped and accessible first aid locations—they are just some of the few.

We are keen to minimise the potential harm of the use of illicit drugs at these events but we do not believe that the safety of these events would be enhanced by pill testing.