NEWS ROOM
A selection of articles from Pill Testing Australia appearing around the world.
An Australian First – Fixed Site Pill Testing Announced
Pill Testing Australia (PTA) and Harm Reduction Australia (HRA) are pleased to advise that approval has been given by the ACT Government to pilot Australia’s first ever fixed site pill testing service. The approval was announced in last night’s ACT Government’s Budget...
Pill Testing Australia shares new advert after NSW Deputy Coroner’s recommendations!
Given the recent recommendations by the NSW Deputy Coroner, Pill Testing Australia have shared a short video which highlights the harm caused by preventing young people from having knowledge about the content of their drugs.The one-minute piece produced by Sydney...
Pill Testing Australia launches advert to promote harm reduction strategy!
After releasing a detailed operational report on the second Australian pill testing pilot conducted at Groovin The Moo in April, Pill Testing Australia has launched an advert to support and drive conversation around pill testing at festivals.The advert, directed...
Report on the 2nd ACT GTM Pill Testing Pilot: a Harm Reduction Service
Media Release – Pill Testing Australia releases detailed report from second pilot conducted at Groovin The Moo!
Pill Testing Australia have released a detailed operational report on the second Australian pill testing pilot conducted at Groovin The Moo in April and are calling on state governments to support their service Australia wide. The report shows that the...
Media Release – Second pill testing pilot in Canberra a success!
MEDIA RELEASE Monday 29 April 2019 For Immediate Release Second pill testing pilot in Canberra an overwhelming success Pill Testing Australia has successfully implemented a 2nd Pill Testing Pilot at the Groovin the Moo Festival in Canberra Preliminary key facts: The...
PTA Launch “Give That They May Know” fundraiser!
Well… hello, Australia! My name is David Caldicott, it’s entirely possible that you may have seen or heard me harping on about harm minimisation in general and pill testing in particular over the last decade or so. If so, sorry about the prior intrusion and apologies...
Groovin The Moo gets green light to host Australia’s second-ever pill testing trial
Pill testing will once again go ahead at this year's Groovin The Moo festival in Canberra. Heading to a new site at Exhibition Park in Canberra, aka EPiC, at the end of April, Groovin the Moo will host Australia's second-ever pill testing trial after the ACT...
Here’s why doctors are backing pill testing at music festivals across Australia
For many years experts in the field of drug policy in Australia have known existing policies are failing. Crude messages (calls for total abstinence: “just say no to drugs”) and even cruder enforcement strategies (harsher penalties, criminalisation of drug users) have...
“There’s Literally A Queue”: Advocates Slammed A Call For Pill Testing Evidence
New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said she'll consider pill testing trials at music festivals if she sees evidence it saves lives. Here's why it's more complicated than that. Five young people have died from suspected drug overdoses and reactions at...
It’s Time To Face The Music On Australia’s Flawed Drug Policy
A few changes could make a real difference. As a new year begins so does the effort continue to make Australia a safer and more humane country in how we deal with people who use drugs. Here are five changes that would make a real difference. 1. Decriminalise the...
NCA’s decision on pill testing betrays public trust
The National Capital Authority has blocked a proposal for pill testing at this year's Spilt Milk festival in Canberra. It was able to do this because the festival is held on grounds that the NCA's manages. It made this decision despite the support of the ACT...
Drug Reform series – At last, a government sanctioned pill testing program
We are finally seeing in Australia the first signs of a recognition by government of the important public health benefits of sanctioned pill testing programs. Law enforcement alone will never overcome the problems that can arise from drug use. Much like needle and...
The Rejection Of Drug Testing Is A Hard Pill To Swallow
It is a case of the demand for perfection stifling any progress. In their efforts to defend the 'just say no' approach to pill testing, government officials often highlight what they believe is a major problem. Basically, that there is the potential for a...
What is ‘drug checking’ and why do we need it in Australia?
This weekend saw the tragic death of a young woman after she took an unidentified tablet at the Stereosonic music festival. Drug-related deaths of this type are not uncommon in Australia, and this raises the question of whether our approach to harm minimisation needs...