Published
Fri, Nov 15, 2019, 00:11
- The result of an inquest into festival deaths across the state has sparked another push towards harm minimisation strategies at festivals.
A street party-style rally in support of pill testing will be held in Sydney on November 23rd.
Local organisations Keep Sydney Open, Reclaim The Streets and Unharm have banded together to present Dance In Defiance, a mobile protest that will see a number of soundsystem crews setting up outside Sydney Town Hall before progressing through the city.
"Festival season has arrived and we need these changes now to avoid the worst of last summer," the event blurb explains. "But instead of listening to the experts, key government ministers have chosen to ignore the inquest's recommendations. They’d rather see more kids die than admit their war on drugs is a disaster. That's why we're taking to the streets again to dance in defiance and demand pill testing now and an end to the invasive sniffer dog and strip search program."
The event comes in response to the release of the State Coroner's findings on the subject that were published last week. The report urges the government to trial pill testing at music festivals in New South Wales "as soon as possible," stating there is compelling evidence to support the harm minimisation measure. It also recommends ending the use of sniffer dogs at these sites and limiting strip searching to cases where there is a "reasonable suspicion."
While the state government is yet to officially respond to the report, NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller has publicly opposed the recommendations, saying "I'm gravely concerned about the message that pill testing sends to young people about the consumption of illegal substances. Most of the harm occurs from drugs people intended to purchase. Pill testing will not reduce this harm."
A string of drug-related deaths at festivals over the 2018-19 summer led to a hardline government response that the media dubbed a "war on festivals." NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has remained opposed to pill testing, instead doubling down on a 'just say no' approach. A separate government inquiry into the use of police strip searches at music events has found that many have potentially been conducted unlawfully. 122 girls under the age of 18 have been among those forced to undergo a strip search since 2016, including children as young as 12, inviting criticism of the police's heavy-handed strategies around drug enforcement.
This week the NSW festivals industry celebrated a small win as a bill passed through the Upper House with amendments that require the establishment of a festival industry roundtable. Keep Sydney Open shared the news on Facebook, saying "after a lengthy negotiation process, there will now be Music Festivals Roundtable which means that the government will have to consult the industry instead of shutting them out which has been the way until now. A small but positive step in the right direction!"
For more on the regulatory climate for festivals in NSW, watch our latest documentary, Real Scenes: Sydney.
Watch a short video of last summer's Demand Action Rally.