Australia's first pill-testing trial cancelled – and ACT Liberals take credit

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Australia's first pill-testing trial cancelled – and ACT Liberals take credit

18 October 2017

The Australian Capital Territory Liberal party has taken credit for blocking a pioneering pill-testing trial at an Australian music festival after organisers announced it will no longer go ahead.

On Friday ACT Liberals congratulated the shadow attorney general, Jeremy Hanson, for “intervening” to block a pill-testing trial at the Spilt Milk festival in Canberra.

The trial had been approved by the ACT Labor Greens coalition government in September. At the time the health minister, Meegan Fitzharris, had said pill testing would “keep people safe”.

But on Thursday one of the festival organisers told ABC radio the trial would no longer go ahead because the group contracted to conduct the trial, Safety Testing Advisory Service at Festivals and Events, or STA-Safe, a consortium of pill-testing advocates, had not provided the relevant “documentation”.

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