It looks a hell of a lot like the NSW Coroner is about to throw her weight behind pill testing at music festivals.
The Daily Telegraph has managed to get its hands on a draft set of recommendations from the recent coronial inquest into drug-related deaths at NSW music festivals over the summer of 2017 and 2018.
In the leaked documents, NSW Coroner Harriet Grahame reportedly backs the introduction of pill testing, while recommending that police strip searches and sniffer dogs both be scrapped.
The recommendations, which arrive after Grahame oversaw weeks of testimony and evidence during the extensive inquest, fly in the face of the Berejiklian Government’s policy of ignoring the evidence and throwing more police at the problem.
But Greens MP Cate Faehrmann has told The Guardian the coroner’s findings should change their minds.
“The premier can’t hide from the evidence,” she said. “If the coroner hands down findings in relation to pill testing and reducing police presence, it is because that will save lives.
“When those recommendations see the light of day, I urge the premier to adopt those recommendations, listen to the evidence and throw out the politics on this issue.”
The coroner’s final report is due on 8 November.
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
