In news that will shock no-one, the NSW Government’s infamously strict regulations placed on the state’s music festivals had f-all impact on drug-related incidents as per a new report.
A review of the impacts of the ‘Music Festival Act 2019’ found that drug-related presentations were consistent before and after the act’s introduction, though there might have been less negative health outcomes overall.
“While there is some evidence to suggest that there have been fewer adverse health outcomes, and to a lesser extent assaults, at high-risk music festivals since the introduction of the Act, the number of serious drug-related presentations was consistent,” the review said, reported by Hack.
The report was conducted last month and looked at data across nine of the state’s festivals that the Berejiklian government deemed as ‘high risk’, including Splendour In The Grass, Laneway, FOMO, Defqon.1 and more. Of those nine events, three we
However, stakeholders in the report – including the Australian Festival Association and NSW Ambulance – said that it’s too early to see for sure if the safety management plans they put in place had an impact on health-related incidents.
In late 2019, a long list of most major NSW festivals threatened to leave the state in response to the NSW Government’s tough policing and security measures.
“There are other states outside NSW that are willing to better support our business,” Laneway Festival co-director Danny Rogers said at the time.
“We may be left with no choice but to consider our options.”
Read the full report here.
