‘We Must Do More to Keep Them Safe’: Greens MP Responds to Rave ‘Tragedy’

Harm-reduction advocates are repeating calls for a new approach to the ongoing “war on drugs” – including pill testing — after eight party-goers in Melbourne were admitted to hospital following suspected overdoses.

The eight people were in a critical condition after attending the Hardmission Festival in Flemington on Saturday night (Jan. 6), and consuming what appears to be “an MDMA derivative drug,” Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill tells the ABC.

Seven of those patients were placed into an induced coma and required breathing tubes, Hill continues.

“It’s quite a high-level treatment that our paramedics perform and it’s reserved for our most time-critical patients and patients in life-threatening health conditions,” he says.

“It’s probably quite rare that we would see this amount of people needing such aggressive treatment.”

The Victorian Ambulance Union and Aiv Puglielli, Greens MP for North-East Metro, have weighed in, calling for better education and a fresh take on policing this thorny issue.

“This is such a tragedy,” writes Puglielli on his social accounts, “and one thing is clear, the current approach, the current war on drugs mentality and how we deal with the issue of people taking illicit substances puts young peoples’ lives at risk.”

He continues, “We know in jurisdictions like the ACT, where people are provided access to services like pill testing, that there is a cohort of people who choose not to take their substance because they are provided with health information that makes them aware of what it is they are about to put into their body.”

Informed punters are “more aware of the risk and they are more aware of the dosage of what it is that they’re taking. Summer festival season is upon us, we know that people will be taking drugs, and we must do more to keep them safe.”

This is such a tragedy, and one thing is clear, the current approach, the current war on drugs mentality and how we deal with the issue of people taking illicit substances puts young peoples' lives at risk. https://t.co/VDyp2r43iO

— Aiv Puglielli MP (@AivGoesGreen) January 7, 2024

The Victorian Ambulance Union’s Hill calls for better drug education, “whether it’s pill checking or pill testing”.

He added, “It’s no secret that these drugs circulate at rave parties,” he continues, noting a cocktail of black market drugs can prove deadly.

“These drugs aren’t made in a batch of seven or eight so it’s terrifying to think that these drugs are out there and could do enormous harm to a lot of other people.”

Producers of Hardmission shared a post on social media ahead of the inaugural, day-long event, reiterating its commitment to a safe show, which included volunteers on site from DanceWize, which provides provides peer-based harm reduction.

“Hardmission is committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all our attendees. As part of our dedication to harm minimisation, we are proud to ­announce the presence of DanceWize at the event,” Hardmission Festival wrote on Friday.

“Your well-being is our priority,” the post continues. 

According to the ABC, a Victorian government spokesperson said there were no current plans to trial pill testing in the state, though $21 million of taxpayers’ money is said to be spent each year on harm reduction activities, which include engaging with attendees at festivals and nightclubs.

“Any overdose or adverse health outcome as the result of illegal drugs is distressing, and we send our thoughts to the families and loved ones affected this weekend,” the spokesperson said.

Harm Reduction International executive director Naomi Burke-Shyne recently told the Corporation that Australia had drifted behind Canada and other countries in the damage limitation space.

“So many countries around the world have drug testing in place to support people [to] make better decisions about the substance they are consuming,” she said.