Trial & Error: A Timeline On Pill Testing

Just on a year ago, the idea of pill testing was thrust into the media spotlight with the announced and then subsequently cancelled trial slated for Canberra’s Spilt Milk Festival. While it wasn’t the first time the subject had come to light, it seems to have been one of its most prominent appearances. 

In the past few weeks, pill testing has once again become a hot-button topic. Following the death of two festival patrons at Sydney’s Defqon.1 from suspected drug overdoses, everyone from the New South Wales State Premier to artists and music organisations have weighed in on the topic. 

For our festival mag issue last year, The Music looked into the Spilt Milk trial cancellation and spoke to experts about what the trial would have meant. Since then, Canberra’s Groovin The Moo has successfully held an Australian first pill testing trial. Here, we look back at the past few years of the Australian pill testing conversation and to see how things have, or haven’t, progressed.

2015

 28 November

Twenty-five-year-old Sylvia Choi passes away from a drug overdose at the Sydney leg of the Stereosonic Festival. 

 1 December

Emergency physician and drug expert Dr David Caldicott calls for pill testing at music festivals in Australia when appearing on ABC’s 7.30 program. Nineteen-year-old Stefan Woodward passes away from a suspected drug overdose at the Adelaide Stereosonic event just four days later. 

2016

 15 February

The NSW Government refuse to budge on their stance against pill testing, with NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant speaking on the matter in an ABC Four Corners investigation. "Pill testing will not save a life," Grant said.

 2 March

Stereosonic organisers throw their support behind onsite pill testing. "It's simply about doing anything we can to help reduce risk and increase safety for our patrons," said founder Richie McNeill. A day later, NSW Premier Mike Baird slams the calls, saying, "There's a pretty simple way that you know you're going to be safe — don't take the pills,” during an appearance on Channel Seven’s Sunrise program. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews echoes his sentiments the following day.

 26 November

Adriana Buccianti, whose son passed away in 2012 following an overdose at Victoria’s Rainbow Serpent festival, speaks at the launch for organisation Unharm. "If pill testing was implemented people might not take their drugs,” said Buccianti in a report by news.com.au. “Because no one wants to come out of a festival or nightclub in a body bag if they think their drugs might kill them."

2017

 30 January 

The Victorian State Government again rejects calls for pill testing following the death of one person and the hospitalisation of more due to a suspected toxic batch of MDMA. Just a month later, Port Phillip Council votes in favour of holding the state’s first pill testing trial in their district. 

 22 September

Canberra’s Spilt Milk festival gets the green light to go ahead with an onsite pill testing trial.

 12 October

Director of Kicks Entertainment (organisers of Spilt Milk) Ryan Phillips appears on triple j’s Hack program to confirm that the trial would not go ahead as relevant “documentation” had not been provided by those running the program. 

 3 November

The Music investigates the cancellation of the Spilt Milk trial in our 2017 festival edition. “I think on Wednesday the 11th between the promoter and the National Capital Authority and at that meeting, we've been led to believe that the National Capital Authority [who own the land Spilt Milk is held on] advised the promoter that they would not get a licence to conduct Spilt Milk with an application of pill testing," said Safety Testing Advisory Service at Festivals & Events' (STA-SAFE) member Dr David Caldicott in the interview. 

"We had provided all of the documentation that was required, not just for the ACT government to persuade them but also the Australian Federal Police, so the documentation that we had provided to everybody was extensive. The promoter was involved in all of the planning phases and therefore had access to all of the documentation, and then on the Thursday announced on radio, without consulting with us, that he didn't have all the documentation he needed, so we didn't know anything about it." 

Kicks Entertainment referred only to a previously shared Facebook statement when an interview was requested, and the National Capital Authority failed to respond to The Music's requests.

2018

 26 April

Groovin The Moo's Canberra festival announces it will go ahead with an onsite pill testing trial. Over 128 people take part in the trial, with 85 samples tested. Two of those were found to be deadly.

 15 September

Two people die from suspected drug overdoses at Sydney’s Defqon.1 music festival, with a further 700 people treated on site. Following the event, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian vows to permanently shut down the festival. Festival organisers say they “are disappointed at the number of reported drug-related incidents, we have a zero-tolerance policy in relation to drug use at the festival”, as well as expressing their condolences for the families affected.

 19 September

Premier Berejiklian announces an advisory panel to address drug use at music festivals, whether harsher penalties should be considered for drug dealers and how festival promoters can improve safety. Its panel includes Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant and Chair of the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority Philip Crawford. The same day, The Canberra Times reports that the National Capital Authority will not allow a pill testing trial to go ahead at this year's Spilt Milk festival.

 24 September

Musicians Peking Duk, Thundamentals, Alex The Astronaut, Flight Facilities and KLP, as well as MusicNSW, Bluesfest, Chugg Entertainment, Good Things Festival and St Jerome's Laneway Festival join an open letter signed by over 60 NSW artists, festivals and industry organisations calling on Premier Berejiklian to let the music industry be involved in the NSW Government’s ‘Ensuring Safety at Music Festivals’ panel discussion.