Last month, we reported that two partygoers had tragically passed away from suspected drug overdoses at the Defqon.1 Festival. The troublesome incidents resulted in the Premier Gladys Berejiklian declaring that she never wants to see the “event held in Sydney or New South Wales ever again”. Recently, the ACT Greens member Shane Rottenbury has offered a great alternative solution that may ultimately be the start of a compromise for the event.
Rottenbury suggested bringing the notorious event to Canberra, the capital of Australia and the eighth-largest city overall. His proposal via a letter addressed to the festival organizers, Q-Dance, also indicated that the event itself could work to “minimize drug harm for festival patrons” through testing.
“I see no good reason not to have this festival here, it’s a big event, we want to see more things like this happening in Canberra,” Rottenbury said.
“We need to have a spectrum of opportunities for people when it comes to entertainment and something like Defqon can fit into that and it can be a great economic opportunity for this city as well.” He continued.
With an event of this proportion, the ACT Greens member believes that the fest could provide an economic boost for the stunning destination.
When touching base on the controversial subject of pill testing, he stated:
“I’d prefer people didn’t take pills when they went to festivals but in the real world they do, and that’s what we need to prepare though. […] The Greens want to do our best to ensure festival-goers have a good time in the safest ways possible, rather than taking avoidable risks.”
Q-Dance has yet to reply to the letter. We look forward to seeing what comes about the reasonable suggestion. Do you believe that Defqon.1 should continue to be allowed to take place, despite its unfortunate past?
