The Victorian Greens have revealed that their proposed pill testing trial would cost a total of $3.8 million over two years.
The funding for the trial would cover a mobile pill testing facility for festivals, as well as a permanent, fixed-site laboratory for more in-depth analysis.
A breakdown of Greens’ predicted costs puts aside $1.3 million for operating, staffing and testing and $1.2 million for the necessary equipment.
“Everyone deserves to enjoy music festivals safely, but Victoria’s out-of-date and punitive drug laws are putting those who enjoy festivals at risk,” said Victorian Greens’ health spokesperson Dr Tim Read.
“Pill testing reduces harmful drug use and connects young people to harm reduction services.”
Dr Read says that savings will also flow on, by also preventing hospital admissions caused by drug consumption. According to the party, the cost of keeping a patient in intensive care currently sits at roughly $5,000 per day.
The support for pill testing at music festivals has grown over the years.
Earlier this year, a number of the country’s leading medical associations, including the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners voiced their support for pill testing at festivals.
“Authorised and medically-supervised pill testing provides an avenue to establish rapport, and to provide important harm minimisation messages to young people attending music festivals and other events,” AMA President, Dr Tony Bartone said in a statement .
“Young people will experiment with drugs. We must use all available and recognised means to reduce the chance of harms.”
However, the Victorian Government remains opposed to the measure.
Premier Daniel Andrews has stated numerous times that his government will not support the pill testing trial.
“The notion you can bring certainty to it, I just think is wrong and potentially dangerous because it misleads people,” he told The Herald Sun in March.
In a statement sent to The Feed, his office reiterated the stance.
We have no plans to allow for pill-testing at events in Victoria.
The Victorian Government currently invests $20 million per year to support a number of education-based harm reduction programs aimed at festivals.
This includes DanceWize, a volunteer-led program that provides “water, sunscreen and information” at events and festivals across New South Wales.
“It’s surprising Victoria’s Labor Government is as fixed as the NSW Liberal Government in rejecting the evidence in favour of pill testing,” Dr Read said.
“We’ve got the research to back pill testing and now we know it’s affordable, so there’s no reason for the Government to continue dragging its feet.”
“Think about the person that you love most and feel it in your heart them never coming back to you.”
When the pill testing program was first introduced to Victorian government it was dubbed ‘Daniel’s Bill’ after Daniel Buccianti who died of a drug overdose at 2012’s Rainbow Serpent festival.
His mother, Adrianna, has been a vocal campaigner for introduction of pill testing at festivals, starting a Change.org petition that garnered over 120,000 signatures.
“Pill testing is providing people the opportunity to go into the tent, have the discussion, have their drug tested and if they’re deadly, they will throw them away,” Adrianna told The Feed.
Because I can tell you my son never intended to come home in a body bag.
Premier Andrew’s comments about pill testing echo those of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian who’s quoted as saying, “We think [pill testing] creates a false sense of security.”
“That is the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” Adrianna says.
“No pill testing service is going to tell a punter that any drug is a good drug to take. In fact, they will say that no drug is safe to take.”
Between 2017 and 2019 a further six people have died from incidents involving drugs at festivals. Adrianna’s mission is to make sure no other parents have to feel the pain she has experienced.
“No one is thinking about the parents who have lost their loved ones but also the future people who will be going to these festivals,” she says.
“[Politicians] are frightened at what the backlash could be but they need to come forward and show strength, show courage, all those things that you vote leaders in for.”
