NEWS
Evidence from the ACT’s canTEST pill-testing program has shown that one in five people discharge of their drugs when they find out the substances are tainted. Results published by canTEST have shown that pill-testing reduces harm for users; it is evidence like this which has led to “seven different recommendations since 2021 from the Victorian coroners for drug checking reform here in our state,” said Dr Barratt. The Victorian Premier’s office declined to comment on why they are not trialling a pill testing program. However, a spokesperson for the Premier did note that the 2023/24 state budget “invest[s] $372.2 million total funding into alcohol and other drug services.” Bureaucracy challenges for Harm Reduction Australia President of Harm Reduction Australia Gino Vumbaca believes that the Victorian government’s current plan to reduce drug and alcohol harm is just not good enough. When asked about what bureaucratic factors that are impacting the government’s stance on pill-testing, Mr Vumbaca says that “we are dealing with a legacy and policing issue.” To illustrate this point, Mr Vumbaca drew attention to an offer that Harm Reduction Australia made late last year to finance, organise and run a pill-testing trial at any festival of the Victorian government’s choice. Mr Vumbaca underlined that the objective of this proposal was to allow an independent evaluator, selected by the government, to assess actualised evidence within a Victorian located approach and service. “They denied this offer, there is a lack of logic and rational thinking behind these decisions.” During our conversation, Mr Vumbaca pointed out how important boots-on-the-ground harm reduction services are. “They have the networks and services, they need to be able to communicate their services.” It is for this reason that UMSU Welfare Officer Joshua Stagg, has been trying to
Photography by Deidre Chloe
re-introduce the ‘Safer Partying Initiative’ (SPI), after it was shut down in 2018. The original program held harm reduction workshops run by DanceWize and Harm Reduction Victoria, where participating students could later pick up a free colorimetric reagent drug checking kit. “This program was established to make a difference in how students handle drug use, giving them the info and tools to be safer. It’s part of UMSU’s mission to care for the student community and make sure everyone has the support they need,” says Dee Jarrett, an UMSU Divisional Manager who helped to implement the program. UMSU Welfare looks to have successfully come to an agreement with the University to reintroduce the SPI— but it was not easy. Stagg claims there were multiple logistical and bureaucratic steps to overcome when coming to a compromise with insurers, lawyers, and the University. “There are so many limitations put on student unions, and just advocates more broadly, but people need help right now. But in my official position it is proving to be incredibly hard to provide.” The reinstated SPI will be small in scale, with 30-40 testing kits likely to be available to University of Melbourne students within the next year. With a cohort of over 50,000 students, the Welfare Department believes that the resources available to them via the University-allocated SSAF are far too little is far too little. “I have been given totally insufficient funds to tackle the scale of this issue, this is an issue that the university doesn’t care about at all,” said Mr Stagg. UMSU, health experts, climate scientists, and the broader music community alike are calling for policy changes and greater funding at a federal, state and institutional level to make a large and dynamic community better equipped for dealing with a climate and drug crisis.
FARRAGO 2024 / EDITION 2 / 11