Queensland’s first pill testing festival saved by venue shift
The Rabbits Eat Lettuce music festival has found a new venue just weeks out from the event after being denied access to its previous location on Queensland’s Southern Downs.
The five-day Easter event will move to Crystal Springs, a campground at Stonelands, about 130 kilometres west of Gympie.
The South Burnett Regional Council granted organisers a temporary event permit on Thursday.
Last year, Rabbits Eat Lettuce became the first festival in Queensland to run pill testing after Ebony Greening and Dassarn Tarbutt died from suspected overdoses in a tent at the 2019 event.
The future of the festival had been in doubt since February after the Southern Downs Regional Council refused organiser REL Events’ development application and temporary permits for the previous site, Cherrabah Resort, about 200km south west of Brisbane, near Warwick.
More than 4,000 people attended Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival near Warwick last year. (Supplied: Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival)
REL Events director Erik Lamir said he was relieved to find a new location, with about 5,000 people expected to attend the event from April 17 to 21.
“It’s still going to be the same spectacular show that we always produce all stages and artists are still coming across to the new venue,” he said.
“We’ve moved a festival across state borders in three days before, so this will be fine.“
Mr Lamir said pill testing at the event would be operated by Pill Testing Australia this year.
Rabbits Eat Lettuce was the first festival in Queensland to offer pill testing last year. (Facebook: Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival)
“We saw a huge reduction in drug related medical presentations to our medical facility [last year], and it also resulted in zero ambulance transfers,” he said.
“It’s a proven harm reduction measure that was very successful.“
Mr Lamir said tickets would not be refunded for people who could no longer attend the new location.
Denied access
In February, the Southern Downs Regional Council refused a development application from REL Events Pty Ltd to host up to 10,000 people at Cherrabah Resort over 12 days per year.
It would have allowed the company to hold multiple events at the site at different times in the year.
REL Events wanted to run more events throughout the year. (Supplied: Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival)
Southern Downs Regional Council documents showed REL Event’s development application was refused for several reasons including environmental impact, sound, land conflict, and safety issues.
Mr Lamir said his company planned to appeal the decision in the Planning and Environment Court so the event could return to its original site in the future.
“We ran a very successful, squeaky clean event last year,” he said.
“We were expecting an approval, and then when it got to the council meeting, it turned into a political issue, and it was voted down.
“We have a very strong case with the Planning and Environment Court, I’m confident in our case.”
REL Events had also applied for two temporary entertainment event permits at Cherrabah Resort and nearby Thanes Creek, but Mr Lamir said the council also rejected those applications.
The council declined to comment on the development application and the temporary entertainment event permits.
Conditions of entry
South Burnett Regional Council said it could not find any reason not to approve the event at Stonelands this year.
Mayor Kathy Duff said REL Events ticked all the boxes for compliance with the council’s planning department.
“I have had a brief conversation with Erik [Lamir], and I’ve spoken to our planners at length, and they said that they’ve put in a lot of regulations,” she said.
Kathy Duff says it remains to be seen if the council will consider holding a second event. (ABC Southern QLD: Peter Sanders)
“If there are issues, our compliance officers will be available to support the community with any issues, and also the police.
“It’s an opportunity to for our region to have an economic boost, particularly to that area [of the region] … I’m hoping that they get some economic benefits.”
Councillor Duff said she supported pill testing to continue at the festival.
“I’m hoping that everyone is safe, and that the and that there’s no incidences, and that it’s just a great event for our region,” she said.
