More than 20 people have been taken to hospital, many in a critical condition, after overdosing on drugs at a dance party in Melbourne.
Mental Health Minister Martin Foley conceded harm reduction efforts had not been effective. Photo: 123RF
Twenty-five people were treated after taking what is believed to be the synthetic drug GHB during the Electric Parade Music Festival at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl last night.
A fleet of ambulances took 21 people to three hospitals in Melbourne.
Another seven people were treated after leaving the event and collapsing in nearby parks and streets.
Police arrested 40 people at the festival, including 33 men and seven women, while 28 people received diversions and two were given cannabis cautions.
One man was charged after ecstasy, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, ketamine and hash were found on him.
He was remanded into custody.
Paramedics said they treated another seven people who had left the event and collapsed in nearby parks and streets.
Paramedics said they were disappointed in what they called the highest number of overdoses seen at a music event for some time.
"This is particularly disappointing on a night when Melbourne's out enjoying itself," State Health Commander Paul Holman said.
"Really, that event was awash with drugs."
Mr Holman added the drug could cause people to fall unconscious by slowing the heart and causing seizures.
No plans to introducing pill testing, says minister
Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said the State government had no plans to introduce drug (or pill) testing, but conceded harm reduction efforts had not been effective.
"What we need to do is ramp up our harm reduction efforts, the $192 million that we spend on all sorts of programmes around peer support work.
"Getting the right messages about safe behaviour are clearly not working and we will consider how we have to do more."
He said the private event had nothing to do with nearby White Night festival celebrations, but said authorities would look into the overdoses.
"This whole incident [is] of great concern to us and there will be a high degree of scrutiny of the operators of this event," Mr Foley said.
Extra police officers will patrol the festival in Sydney where it continues in the inner-west today until midnight.
Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton said police had concerns about drug use at the same event last year.
"This year ... we're still getting these drug issues through this event," he said.
"We'll be talking to the organisers and trying to make sure that we can encourage them as strongly as we can to make sure [they] are addressing these issues."
Commissioner Ashton added pill testing was "a bit of a myth" at large public events.
"It's actually a fairly complex process done properly. So you could have some quick testing, that someone says some drug's OK when it's actually not, caused by the sort of rush that would be necessary to do that testing [at a festival]."
The ABC has contacted the Electric Parade Music Festival organisers.
- ABC