Crossbench to use numbers to pressure Victorian Government to introduce pill testing

By state political reporter Richard Willingham

Victoria’s diverse Upper House crossbench is demanding the Andrews Government undertake a trial of pill testing, and are vowing to make the issue a key matter in the Parliament.

At least six of the 11 Upper House crossbenchers will on Monday demand a trial, standing on the steps of Parliament in a sign of cross-party unity.

Despite Labor’s thumping election victory the party did not win a majority in the Upper House, holding 18 of 40 seats.

The crossbench holds the same number of seats as the Coalition in the Upper House and is hoping to use their numbers to pressure Labor.

The group includes Reason Party’s Fiona Patten, the Greens leader Samantha Ratnam, two Liberal Democrats, the Animal Justice Party’s Andy Meddick and independent Catherine Cumming.

Overdoses at Australian musical festivals have claimed the lives of six young people this summer.

The deaths have prompted a renewed push for a trial of pill testing, but the Victorian Government has so far ruled out any trial.

The Australian Medical Association backs a trial.

“Pill testing will save lives and there is evidence of this across the world,” Ms Patten said.

“To the Premier, if you call Victoria the most progressive state, you can’t ignore pill testing.

“It’s time to start putting measures in place to help prevent these deaths. Health professionals are simply waiting for you to give the go ahead.”

During the last term of Parliament, Premier Daniel Andrews changed his position on a safe-injecting room, setting up a trial in North Richmond.

But a Government spokesperson said there were no plans to allow pill testing at events in Victoria.

“Advice from Victoria Police tells us it can give people a false, and potentially fatal, sense of security about illicit drugs,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Liberal Democrats MP David Limbrick said his party supported “the right of people to make choices about their own bodies”.

“Whether considered through the lens of harm reduction, or ensuring adults are free to make informed choices, enabling pill testing is a policy that makes sense and has positive outcomes,” he said.

The Greens have long advocated for pill testing, with federal leader Richard Di Natale joining young people this month to once again call for the scheme.