A Victorian Coroner is calling for an overhaul of drug checking practices at music festivals, noting strategies like sniffer dogs, police, and security guards “have no positive impact on drug use”.
The call comes as part of a report on the death of a woman after a Melbourne music festival.
Coroner Ingrid Giles found the lack of pill testing facilities at the event meant the woman “could not” have known the strength of what she took, leaving her “vulnerable to overdose”.
The Victorian Government launched a pill testing trial in early 2025.
Background
In September 2023, 28-year-old Trang Thi Thu Le died from an overdose of MDMA and ketamine after an EDM event in Melbourne.
In January 2024, nine people were hospitalised for drug overdoses following a Melbourne EDM festival.
From 2000 to 2024, there were 18 drug overdose deaths associated with music events in Victoria.
Giles investigated Le’s death, as well as the broader use of drugs at festivals.
Report
Giles’ report outlines the events leading up to Le’s death, including access to harm reduction services.
Le attended an EDM event at John Cain Arena in Melbourne with her partner and two friends. Once inside, Le met another friend who gave her a pill understood to be ecstasy or MDMA.
Le’s partner later described the pill to medical professionals as “big,” and said she had also taken ketamine.
Her partner told the coroner that once on the dancefloor, Le asked him for a drink of water, which he said took “more than half an hour because it was very busy”.
Le lost consciousness during this time and was given medical treatment, but died in hospital overnight of MDMA and ketamine toxicity.
Giles said she had sought advice from the coroners’ death prevention unit (CPU) in analysing Le’s death.
The CPU said there was a “broad cultural practice” of people taking MDMA at EDM events, adding that research had shown pill testing at festivals led to people taking lower doses.
Giles identified “significant broader opportunities for prevention” of drug-related harms, including more pill testing, and improved guidance for event organisers from the Victorian Department of Health.
The coroner said attendees would be “more likely to make safe choices” if event practices, like access to pill testing, were clearer.
“This is not about encouraging people to break the law,” Giles added.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
Giles noted research showing measures “designed exclusively to prevent people using drugs” such as bag searches and sniffer dogs have “no positive impact” on drug use.
“In some cases [they] can actually lead to riskier drug use and greater drug harms,” the coroner added.
In a statement for the report, Harm Reduction Victoria – which operates the DanceWize program – said these practices may create “a sense of mistrust and fear surrounding the event”.
Pill testing
Pill testing is a harm-minimisation service. In Australia, it’s generally free and confidential.
Drug samples submitted for testing undergo chemical analysis to identify potentially harmful or unexpected ingredients.
Results from drug checks generally relate to the strength and contents of the drug, and can include health advice for users.
Victoria began a mobile pill testing trial in December 2024, attending multiple festivals like Beyond the Valley and Pitch.
A fixed site also opened in Fitzroy in Melbourne’s inner north in August 2025.
Giles commended the pill testing trial, saying she is “optimistic” that it “will support Victorians to make more informed and safer choices”.
She encouraged the Department to ensure these services are accessible, particularly at EDM events where attendees “may be at a higher risk of experiencing drug-related harms.”
Recommendation
Giles recommended that the Victorian Department of Health review and refresh its ‘Code of practice for running safer music festivals and events’, published in 2013.
She said the Department should consult with harm reduction experts “to ensure its guidance... reflects current evidence and best practice.”
The code of practice includes three pages on harm reduction, while 12 are dedicated to planning, preparation, and management.
Response
In a statement to TDA, a Victorian Government spokesperson said: “Every drug-related death is a tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Trang Thi Thu Le’s family and loved ones.”
They said the Government is “addressing drug harm in our community,” highlighting the fixed and mobile pill testing sites.
However, the spokesperson added that “there’s more to do” and that the Government “will carefully consider the coroner’s findings.”
