A bunch of you guys are probably packing your stuff and getting amped to roadtrip to Byron Bay for Splendour in the Grass this weekend. You’ve probably also heard the news that cops are crackin’ down hard on drugs – confirming that they will rip up SITG tickets of festivalgoers found with drugs both inside and outside the festival precinct:
Fetstivalgoers caught with drugs at Splendour in the Grass may as well throw $375 down the drain, with police warning tickets will be ripped up.Police say they will be out in force over the three-day annual music event at Byron Bay.Tweed-Byron local area command crime manager, Detective Inspector Brendon Cullen, said police would be working around the clock.“There will be a highly visible police presence throughout the whole festival, both within the festival precinct and outside,” he said.
Gnarly. But a few people have raised a question – can cops do that? They argue that it’s stated in the terms and conditions of the ticket. The relevant sections of the terms and conditions, listed on Splendour‘s website, are as follows:
20. Possession, sale or use of illegal drugs or illicit substances is strictly prohibited. Any persons found with them in their possession will be removed from the campground and will be the subject of police action.21. The Organiser reserves the right to refuse a ticketholder admission to the campgrounds or to evict that person from the campground if they are affected by alcohol or drugs, or act in contravention of any of these Terms and Conditions.
We spoke to criminal defence lawyer Andrew Tiedt of Armstrong Legal about the extent of police powers in this regard. “The police cannot for shits and giggles destroy your property,” Tiedt says.
