Drug harm reduction
Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (14:24): My question is for the Premier. Over the Labour Day weekend there were multiple serious suspected drug overdoses at festivals around the state. Today the Queensland government announced that it will run pill testing at a festival over Easter and a fixed-site service from next month, with another planned. To quote the Queensland Labor health minister:
… we don’t want people ending up in our emergency departments – or worse losing their life.
Premier, the evidence is in and the experts agree: pill testing saves lives. How much longer will Victorians, particularly young Victorians, have to wait until this government finally introduces pill testing?
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:25): I thank the member for Prahran for his question. I do not think he specifically named it, but I think he was referring to the Pitch music festival, which was held on the outskirts of Ararat on the Labour Day long weekend, which was, as we all know, pretty much four days on a stretch of really hot and extreme weather that was experienced during that time. And at the outset can I also pass on my condolences, because there was a young person’s life lost who attended that music festival. Given that there is a coronial inquiry underway, it would be inappropriate for me to speculate as to what the cause of death was, but I do want to acknowledge that this would have been a very distressing and difficult time for that young person and his family. Also I want to thank the emergency services and other support agencies who both supported festivalgoers on that very hot and difficult weekend and also supported them when the decision was made by the festival organisers for that event to not proceed I think sometime on the Sunday.
The member for Prahran specifically referred to a Queensland announcement today. I will say I have not seen what the Queensland government announced today, but what I can say is that we are focused on –
Danny O’Brien interjected.
Jacinta ALLAN: Are you supporting the Greens, are you? Oh, hello. Have we got a bit of a thing going?
The SPEAKER: Order! Through the Chair, Premier. Member for Gippsland South!
Jacinta ALLAN: In terms of the policy setting in terms of alcohol and drug policy focus, we do take a harm minimisation focus. That is why, whether it is through doubling investment in drug and alcohol services or supporting people in our community, we will continue on that approach. I know the Minister for Mental Health particularly is very committed to continuing to look at ways that we can reform and improve supports to people in our community. However, as I have previously communicated publicly – and I have nothing new to change or announce today – we have no current plans to make the announcement that the member for Prahran was seeking today.
Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (14:27): Premier, the push within the community for pill testing has been going on for the best part of a decade. It was in 2017 that there was a spate of overdoses in my electorate of Prahran. There have been numerous overdoses and deaths since. Health experts, drug and alcohol specialists, pharmacists, unions, the coroner – over 80 organisations – are all calling for the government to implement pill testing. The longer the government waits, the more hospitalisations and overdoses there will be. Why will the government not urgently introduce pill testing to help save lives?
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:28): With all due respect to the member for Prahran, my answer to his supplementary question is identical to my answer to his substantive question. I have got nothing further to add.