Organisers will have to apply for a specific liquor licence, similar to those for pubs and clubs, in bid to keep young people safe

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Music festivals will have to be licensed in New South Wales under new regulations following a string of tragedies.

Five people have now died after attending music festivals, including 23-year-old Joseph Pham and 21-year-old Diana Nguyen, who both died of suspected drug overdoses after attending the Defqon.1 festival in September.

Following this festival an expert panel was convened to advise the government on how to keep people safe at music festivals.

Based on the recommendation from the panel, from March organisers will have to apply for a specific liquor licence, similar to those for pubs and clubs, for each music festival they hold which is targeted to the risks of the event.

Each application will need to be approved by a panel of experts, envisaged to include NSW Health, NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and Liquor and Gaming NSW, before a licence can be issued.

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“Festival organisers will need to ensure their events meet high safety standards,” the minister for racing, Paul Toole, said in a statement.

The regime will put the onus on organisers to assess and proactively manage safety risks.

“Events with a poor track record and heightened risk will face greater oversight from authorities,” Toole said.

While the licensing plans are yet to be finalised, interim measures are already in place including “chill-out zones” staffed with doctors, nurses and paramedics to help festivalgoers who feel unwell.

Organisers are also required to provide free water stations to ensure people are properly hydrated.

The new scheme will come into force from March 1 with more details to be announced.

There have been growing calls for the New South Wales and Victorian premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews to allow pill testing at music festivals.

On Friday, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians joined the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners as well as the former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Palmer in calling for pill testing to be allowed at festivals.