The move away from having offenders attend court to on-the-spot fines for drug possession was recommended by an expert panel commissioned by Premier Gladys Berejiklian in the wake of two fatalities at the Defqon.1 festival in September 2018.
A report by The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) found that between January and June 2019, 300 criminal infringement notices were issued for illicit drug use or possession at music festivals across NSW.
The NSW government started the trial in January 2019. It allows police to issue fines of $400 for the possession of prohibited drugs, excluding cannabis which is covered by a separate scheme.
"The provision of on-the-spot fines for possession of prohibited drugs at music festivals diverts offenders from the criminal justice system and is intended to provide a harm reduction approach," a NSW Police spokesperson said.
The report's researchers found that issuing drug fines rather than processing the matters through court saved the justice system about $194,400. The revenue generated from those fines was $120,000, pushing the estimated total financial benefit to $314,400.
But the report notes that issuing fines for illicit drug possession could impact disadvantaged people, including those who are homeless, mentally ill, or young.
Head of police accountability at Redfern Legal Centre, Samantha Lee said, while the scheme's monetary savings are positive, there are other issues to consider. These include the reduced ability for a court to use its discretion to assess whether a fine had been issued fairly.
She said further research was needed into the impact drug fines had on the community.
Read the full story here (Sydney Morning Herald, 14 September 2020)
