AFA Throws Support Behind Yours and Owls Pill Testing Trial: ‘This is an Important Moment’

After years of advocacy, research and debate, pill testing will finally become a reality on New South Wales’ festival circuit from next month.

The gravity of the situation isn’t lost on the Australian Festival Association (AFA), whose member Yours and Owls steps forward as the first fest in the state to offer a drug-checking facility.

“This is an important moment for harm reduction in NSW,” comments AFA managing director Olly Arkins.

Festival organisers have “long called for evidence-based approaches that prioritise health and safety,” adds Arkins. “Pill testing has been trialled successfully in other states and internationally, and we are pleased to see NSW take this step forward.”

For no cost, punters at the March 1st-2nd fest will have access to trained peers and health workers on site, and an analytical scientist will test their sample.

In time, the statewide trial will be independently evaluated to inform future programs.

This groundbreaking trial in the country’s most populous state follows an announcement last December from NSW Premier Chris Minns which effectively kick-started a year-long trial, the purpose of which “is to reduce risks and harms associated with illicit drug use.”

“We know from trials in other jurisdictions that these services don’t encourage drug use—they provide lifesaving information that helps reduce harm,” explains Arkins.

Yours and Owls have been “strong advocates for harm reduction, and we applaud their commitment to creating a safer festival environment.”

Arkins thanks Minns, minister Ryan Park and minister Yasmin Catley “for being the first NSW Government to allow pill testing which has been recommended by health and legal experts for many years.”

The NSW drug-checking trial is a sharp left turn from previous, Liberal-led administrations which took a hard line on recreational drug use.

The Berejiklian government, in particular, doubled-down on policing contemporary music events and introduced a strict (and controversial) licensing regime in 2019 following a spate of drug-related deaths at outdoor parties.

There was a time prior to the pandemic when, by entering a music festival in New South Wales, sniffer dogs and a large police presence would greet you. The idea of pill testing in NSW in the 2010s was nothing more than a pipedream.

“We are encouraged by the commitment of NSW Health, NSW Police and Liquor and Gaming to work with the festival industry to ensure the trial is implemented effectively and integrated into broader harm reduction systems already on site at events,” reads the AFA statement, issued early Wednesday, Feb. 19th.

“We are committed to working together to ensure the trial is a success. The inclusion of peer workers and health professionals in the trial will offer festival-goers the information they need to make safer, more informed decisions.”

Read more at health.nsw.gov.au.