[no bill text published] Licensing Framework for Pill Testing Services
Pill Testing Trial Bill 2023
Private Member's BillLegislative Council
Legislative Assembly
Assent
Introduced by: Cate Faehrmann MLC (GRN)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Jacqui Munro LIB
“To conclude my earlier remarks on the Pill Testing Trial Bill 2023, I note that MDMA use in Australia went up by 19 per cent between 2021 and 2023. Wastewater reports also show spikes, particularly during summer, which I suspect are associated with festivals. There is a clear shift in the pattern of use in Australia, which we need to realistically address and respond to.”
Taylor Martin IND
“I contribute to debate on the Pill Testing Trial Bill 2023. I have given the subject a lot of consideration since we last visited the issue a few years ago. My views have changed vastly since then, due to developments—some negative and some positive—regarding the practice of pill testing and drugs currently classed as illicit. My first and foremost concern, as the Hon.”
Rachel Merton LIB
“I speak against the Pill Testing Trial Bill 2023, which seeks to facilitate illicit and unlawful drug taking through New South Wales sponsored pill testing. I am firmly opposed to any moves to decriminalise and make more convenient the use and possession of prohibited drugs. The catastrophic impact of illicit drugs on our community is obvious.”
John Graham ALP
“I have spoken on this matter in the House before, so I will not add to the views of the Minister; rather, I refer members to my previous comments. I respect the seriousness of the issues that have been raised in the debate today. It is clear that members have differing views and that is why the Government is proposing to deal with those issues, as the Minister indicated, through the drug summit.”
John Ruddick LIBT
“It is with reluctance that the Libertarian Party opposes the Pill Testing Trial Bill 2023. We are reluctant to oppose it because we support pill testing—or, more accurately, we believe the State should not be interfering at this micro level in the behaviour of individuals.”
Cate Faehrmann GRN
“Susan Carter, who said that nothing supports the claims that pill testing reduces harm. That is simply not true. The coronial inquest into the death of six patrons of New South Wales music festivals found that there is strong evidence to support a range of initiatives, including drug checking. The ice inquiry commissioner found exactly the same thing.”
News articles and press releases
Pill Testing Trial Bill 2023
Ms CATE FAEHRMANN — 2023-11-29
The inquiry made 109 recommendations about issues across government, including that the New South Wales Government establish a statewide, clinically supervised substance testing information and education service with branches at fixed-site locations, and that it trial an onsite substance testing service at a music festival, to be independently evaluated. At the time, implementation of a pill testing service had strong public support. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that 57 per cent of respondents supported a proposal allowing potential drug users to test their pills/drugs at designated sites. That is three in five Australians.