On Wednesday, 15 October 2025 during Question Time, I asked the Minister for Health about bringing back drug checking (pill testing) services in the wake of an overdose death.
You can read my question and the Minister's response below, or in the official Parliamentary record of proceedings (Hansard).
Mr BERKMAN: My question is to the Minister for Health. Last night we learned of another overdose death from drugs contaminated with synthetic opioids. I table the second public health alert regarding nitazenes circulating in South East Queensland that has been issued since the LNP banned drug checking.
Tabled paper: Document, dated October 2025, titled, ‘Public Health Alert: Queensland Early Warning System’ [1578].
How many more overdose deaths will it take for the LNP to bring back drug-checking services to detect these substances before they kill more Queenslanders?
Mr NICHOLLS: Well, what a surprise—a question about taking drugs from the member for Maiwar, who stands there and condones people who sell drugs! There is no safe way to take drugs. We have been clear about it. We went to the election in October 2024 saying that we do not support pill checking. We could not have been clearer about it. Nothing could have been clearer. What we have seen in the recent tragic deaths is exactly why there is no safe way to take drugs. There is no safe way to take drugs, and there is no way that the Crisafulli LNP government will be supporting or condoning people taking drugs.
The simple fact of the matter is that these matters are reported through the coronial process.
None of these people, as tragic as their cases are and as distressing as their cases are—
Honourable members interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.
Mr Bailey interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Member for Miller, I just called for order.
Mr NICHOLLS: As distressing as those deaths are—and, of course, we are extraordinarily sympathetic to the families of those involved—
Honourable members interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is to be no quarrelling across the chamber. Minister, you have the call.
Mr NICHOLLS: There is no doubt that condoning drugs or saying that there is a safe way to take drugs leads to more of these types of terrible circumstances.
Mr Crisafulli interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Premier, you are not helping.
Mr NICHOLLS: As you know, the Queensland government is not alone in its position. This is the position that has been taken by Labor in Western Australia. It is the position that has been taken by Labor in South Australia. It is the position that has been taken by the LNP in the Northern Territory. It is the position that has been taken by the Liberal Party government in Tasmania. This is the position that responsible governments take: there is no safe way to take drugs.
When we are alerted to the presence of these particularly dangerous drugs, like nitazenes, we issue public health alerts so that people who present after having taken the drugs can be identified by relevant health authorities and provided with naloxone in order to treat it. That is what responsible governments do. There is no safe way to take drugs.