Groovin The Moo promoters Cattleyard Promotions have been offered legal immunity if they agree to a pill testing trial at the Canberra leg of this year’s festival.
As Fairfax report, the trial has the backing of the ACT government, ACT Policing and the University Of Canberra and is just waiting on the promoters to sign off on it.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure pill testing goes ahead at Groovin the Moo,” ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris told Fairfax.
“The ACT government is being proactive and working with stakeholders to address any questions or concerns so we can see this happen, and I hope we have a final outcome soon.”
A spokesperson from Cattleyard said in a statement that they need to know who is legally liable for the trial.
“Some of the complexities that we are working through involve clarification around patron protection and legal ramifications for those who participate,” they said.
“We are also working through guidelines relating to insurances and liability.”
Dr David Caldicott from testing advocate STA-SAFE consortium has said, however, that they’ve offered Cattleyard legal immunity.
“That’s been on the table since February,” he said.
Festival-goers who present their pills to the testing facility will not be targeted by police. Those who break the law on other parts of the grounds, however, will not be proected.
The issue is that Caldicott claims the promoters want blanket indemnity which means they could be liable for much more than just pill testing.
“We have no control over anything else at the festival,” he said.
“We do think it’s reasonable to take on liability as far as the pill testing is concerned, no problem, but to extend beyond that strikes me as something of a grab.”
Fitzharris told triple j Hack that they will remain in discussions with Cattleyard “until the very last moment”.
