The Minns Labor Government has announced a $4.3 million commitment to continue drug checking services at selected NSW music festivals from October this year, following a successful 12 month trial and independent evaluation.

The independent evaluation led by the University of Sydney found the drug checking trial was effective in reducing risks and harms associated with illicit drug use for festival attendees. 

The trial, which was free and anonymous, allowed festival goers to bring a small sample of substances they intend to consume to qualified health staff to test for purity, potency and adulterants.  

Over the course of the trial, more than 1,800 individuals visited the services and around 1,500 drug samples were tested.

The evaluation found the drug checking service had a strong uptake among festival attendees and was associated with a reduction in urgent drug-related hospital presentations and ICU admissions compared with previous years of the same music festivals.

Illicit drugs remain illegal in NSW. The NSW Government reiterates that there will always be risks involved when consuming these substances and this announcement is not an endorsement of illicit drug use.

The drug checking service does not eliminate these risks. Instead, it helps people make safer choices by connecting them with qualified health staff who can provide harm reduction advice.

A majority of people who used the service reported they had not previously engaged with health or harm reduction services, providing an opportunity to engage with them before they used drugs to communicate the risks and reinforce messaging that there is no safe level of illicit drug use.

The independent evaluation also found the trial positively changed approaches to drug taking, particularly where substances differed from the service user’s expectations.

NSW Health will now consult with the music festival industry and harm reduction organisations to identify up to 15 music festivals per year to participate in the program. 

Participating festivals will again be identified based on characteristics associated with a higher probability of drug harm, including type and size of the festival, and location.

Drug checking will be delivered by NSW Health, in partnership with NUAA (formerly the NSW and Users and AIDS Association) and the music festival industry. 

The service enables music festival attendees to voluntarily submit a small sample of illicit drugs to be analysed on-site by chemists from the NSW Health Pathology Forensic & Analytical Science Service. 

The results of this analysis are explained to service users by qualified and experienced peer workers from NUAA, who provide important harm reduction advice, allowing the service user to make an informed decision about their health. 

Amnesty bins will be available within the Drug Checking space for service users to safely dispose of their drugs if they choose to do so.

The independent evaluation can be found on the NSW Health website here: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/aod/resources/Pages/drug-checking-report.aspx

Since the 2024 Drug Summit, the Minns Government has worked with multiple agencies committing to address several of the recommendations including: 
•    Making support more inclusive and accessible to culturally diverse communities including Aboriginal communities; LGBTIQIA+ community; and young people; 
•    Improving access to mental health services; 
•    Researching pharmacotherapies for methamphetamine use disorder;
•    Backing prevention and early intervention programs, and prioritising the first 2,000 days of a child’s life; 
•    Ensuring all health professionals receive alcohol and other drug education and training which includes trauma-informed care and addresses stigma and discrimination; 
•    Ensuring NSW Health continue to work with schools on awareness and support;
•    Bolstering the alcohol and other drug workforce; and 
•    Ensuring access to Opioid Treatment Program and needle and syringe programs across the state. 

To learn more about the Drug Summit and the NSW Government’s response visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/aod/summit/Pages/default.aspx   

Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“Let me be clear, no level of illicit drug use is safe and drug checking services are not a silver bullet.

“There will always be risks involved when consuming these substances, and this initiative does not endorse drug use.

“Drug checking at music festivals can reduce harms associated with drug use, and it ultimately saves lives.

“For years, Coalition members refused to consider drug testing at festivals, and ignored the advice from clinicians, advocates and our leading experts in health. 

“We’re delivering on our commitment to listen to those with lived experience, and this major investment reflects that.” 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Youth Rose Jackson:
“The best way to keep young people safe is to listen to them, the expert evidence and respond with practical measures that reduce harm.

“Pill testing is a critical pathway for young people to connect with trained health workers, receive trusted advice and better understand the risks they may be taking.

“We want young people to enjoy live music and festivals safely, and this program is helping to do just that. They responded really positively to the trial and will be pleased to see this become a permanent feature of musical festivals in NSW.” 

Quotes attributable to Member for Summer Hill, Jo Haylen:
“Just saying ‘don’t take drugs alone doesn’t keep young people safe. Taking a harm-minimisation approach works and the evidence from our pill testing trials proves just that. 

“The trial clearly shows that connecting people with health professionals can change behaviour and help keep people safe.  This is a sensible, evidence-based reform that puts health and safety first while recognising that no level of illicit drug use is without risk.”

Quotes attributable to Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant: 
“Drug checking at music festivals aims to educate individuals, allowing them to avoid dangerous substances, make safer and more informed choices and potentially avoid serious health risks.

“Our priority is to reduce harm and keep people safe.

“NSW Health is committed to working closely with festival organisers and harm reduction organisers to ensure the safe and effective implementation of drug checking services.” 

Quotes attributable to HSU NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes AM:
“Drug checking keeps people alive. As health workers we see the trauma suffered by parents, partners and family members when someone is lost or seriously hurt by a batch of toxic drugs.   We can’t keep exposing people to the chemical lottery of street drugs when there is a safer and smarter way to give people the tools and knowledge to look after their health”.

Quotes attributable to Jennie Ross-King:

"The enormity of reaching this point is not lost on me. This journey began with the most devastating loss imaginable, the death of my beautiful daughter, Alex, and has continued through more than seven years of grief, advocacy and repeatedly telling her story in the hope that someone would listen.

“Young people take risks, that is the reality of life, but they do not deserve to die because of one decision.  

“This will go a long way towards giving young people the information they need to make safer choices and, ultimately, ensuring they come home safely to the people who love them. 

“I am also deeply thankful to everyone who has listened, stood with us and continued to support this effort with such persistence and commitment, and to the NSW Government for listening to the evidence and lived experience, and having the courage to turn that into meaningful action.”