Video Information
On January 13, 2024, 9 News Australia televised a report on increased police presence at Melbourne music to reduce drugtaking.
On December 28, 2018, BBC 3 televised a 6-minute 44-second segment titled 'How Not to Die from Ecstasy'. It traces the circumstances of the death of a British teenager from MDMA and looks at the contributory factors through interviews with his friend, sister and drug supplier and the attending ambulance officer.
On April 13, 2017, SBS Feed televised a ten-minute segment examining the arguments for and against introducing pill testing in Australia.
On December 21, 2023, ABC News Australia televised a two-and-a-half-minute interview with Dr David Caldicot, an Emergency Consultant at the Emergency Department of the Calvary Hospital in Canberra, in which he explains the prevalence of ecstasy in music festival drug deaths. He also explains his preference for counseling and pill testing over police enforcement.
On January 9, 2024, ABC News In-depth presented a 6-minute 40-second coverage of nine drug-related hospitalisations that had occurred at the Hardmission music festival, leading to calls for the Victoria government to introduce pill testing.
On August 27, 2019, the Drug Education Network televised a 3-minute education segment by Elida Meadows, Policy and Research Officer with the Network The segment looks at the advantages and disadvantages of ill testing.
On October 2, 2023, 9 News Australia televised a news report on the deaths of two young men attending the Knockout Outdoor music festival in Sydney. Their deaths have led to calls to the New South Wales premier to introduce pill testing.
On November 14, 2019, Sky News Australia televised a report on the views of Victoria Police, the Festivals Association, the Ambulance Association, and emergency physicians regarding pill testing. Only Victoria Police opposed the measure.
On August 24, 2023, 7News Australia televised a report on the arrest of a father and son in Queensland charged with manufacturing MDMA.
On December 2, 2019, Sky News televised a report on calls for the then New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian to introduce pill testing after the death of a young man at the Strawberry Fields music festival. The premier opposed to the measure. The report also refers to coronial recommendations made in November 2019. These included the introduction of pill testing.
On May 19, 2019, ABC Science televised a 3-minute report explaining how pill testing had been conducted at the Canberra music festival Groovin the Moo.
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Should pill testing be available to drug users in Australia?
- Web links, documents and video clips
On January 11, 2024, Sydney Criminal Lawyers published a comment supporting pill testing and quoting the views of the Law Association, and church leaders who share the same opinion. The opinion piece is titled 'Melbourne Mass Drug Overdose Provides the "Mandate" to Rollout Pill Testing'.
The full text can be accessed at 
On January 11, 2024, The Daily Telegraph published an opinion piece by Louise Roberts titled 'Pill testing and assisted dying are threatening lives of our children'. Roberts argues against pill testing and assisted dying for those under 18 are measures that endanger young people.
The full text can be accessed at
On January 11, 2024, The Herald Sun published a news report that included an interview with a regular at music festivals who commented on the competitive drug taking culture that exists at these events.
The full text can be accessed at
On January 9, 2024, Sky News published a report titled 'Jacinta Allan issues message to Victorian festivalgoers about 'personal responsibility' as she responds to calls for pill testing'.
The article gives the views of the current Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and the previous premier, Daniel Andrews, against pill testing and those of the Victorian Greens and the secretary of the Victorian Ambulance Union who support it.
The full text can be accessed at
On December 30, 2023, RNZ New Zealand published a report titled '"We've saved lives" - Drug checking service marks two years'. The report describes the success of the pill testing program operating in New Zealand.
The full text can be accessed at
On December 13, 2023, The Australian Pharmacist (the monthly journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia) published an article titled 'Harm minimisation strategies for party season' which supports pill testing and recommends other harm minimization strategies drug takers could employ.
The full text can be accessed at
On November 24, 2023, the Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation updated its information on new strategies for dealing with drugs in Australia. It outlines pill testing processes and benefits and describes the principles of harm minimization. The post includes a link to its detailed advocacy document supporting pill testing.
The page can be accessed at
On October 26, 2023, Lamp (the magazine of the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association) published a report titled 'Nurses and midwives join chorus of health workers in calling for pilot drug checking program'. The article explains the Association's support of a harm minimization response to drugtaking.
The full text can be accessed at
On October 23, 2023, The Conversation published a comment by Monica Barratt, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, Social Equity Research Centre and Digital Ethnography Research Centre, RMIT University and Isabelle Volpe, PhD Candidate, Drug Policy Modelling Program, UNSW Sydney, titled 'Novel drugs are leading to rising overdose deaths in Victoria - drug checking services could help'.
The article argues that the development of new recreational drugs makes pill testing more necessary.
The full text can be accessed at
On October 23, 2023, Youth Projects issued a media release arguing in favour of pill testing as part of a suite of harm reduction measures that could minimize the impact of drugtaking.
The opinion piece is titled 'Drug testing proven to be more effective than not.'
The full text can be accessed at
On October 2, 2023, Sky News published a report titled '"Not the answer": Renewed calls for pill testing to be introduced in NSW slammed after two die following music festival'. The article presents several negative responses to demands that pill testing be introduced in New South Wales.
The full text can be accessed at
On February 27, 2023, Medical Republic published a news report titled 'Pill testing evidence "finally being heard"'. The report details the support of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal Australian College of General practitioners (RACGP) for the Queensland government's decision to allow pill testing in the state.
The full text of the article can be found at
On October 12, 2021, Junkee published a news report titled 'NSW Police Minister Still Says Pill Testing "Sends the Wrong Message"'. The article gives the views of the then New South Wales Police Minister, David Elliott, who is opposed to allowing pill testing in his state.
The full text can be accessed at
On September 24, 2019, The Sydney Morning Herald published a comment by Xavier Symons, a research associate at the Institute for Ethics & Society, University of Notre Dame. Titled '"Drop the pretence": Festival goers are old enough to say no to drugs'. Symons argues that introducing pill testing infantalises young adults and accepts that they are unable to regulate their behaviour.
The full text can be accessed at
On July 15, 2019, 4BC Brisbane published comments by news commentator Alan Jones in which he explained his opposition to pill testing. The article is titled '"Stop talking about it": Alan Jones blasts pill testing debate.'
The full text can be accessed at
On March 25, 2019, Pedestrian (a youth-focused online news and entertainment website) published a comment by Brad Esposito titled 'Just About Every Major Health Body in The Country Now Backs Pill Testing'. The comment lists all the major Australian health and medical bodies that support pill testing and argues that governments should accept their advice.
The full text can be accessed at
On March 22, 2019, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) announced its support for pill testing trials. In a media release titled 'AMA formally backs supervised drug testing trials', the AMA explained the basis on which it favours this measure.
The full text can be accessed at
On February 20, 2019, SBS News published position statements from Australian state governments, police and some health ministers expressing their respective positions on pill testing. All except for Queensland, are opposed. The item is titled 'Pill testing: "It gives people a false sense of security"'.
The full text can be accessed at
On February 2, 2019, The Catholic Weekly published a comment by Tony Wood titled 'Testing would still have failed my daughter'. The writer's daughter was 15 when she died of an ecstasy overdose at a music festival. Her father explains his opposition to pill testing.
The full text can be accessed at
On January 24, 2019, The Catholic Weekly published two opinion pieces under the headline 'Pill Testing: Arguments For and Against'. The item gives the views of Dr Alex Wodak, arguing in favour of pill testing and of Gary Christian, who is opposed.
The full text can be accessed at
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