NSW Admits to Unlawful Strip Search at Splendour Festival

The NSW government has formally admitted that police conducted an unlawful strip search on a woman at the 2018 Splendour in the Grass music festival. 

The rare admission was filed in an updated defence statement ahead of a Supreme Court trial in May, as part of a class action brought by law firm Slater and Gordon in 2022. The lawsuit alleges thousands of festival goers were subjected to illegal and degrading searches across New South Wales.

The government’s acknowledgement applies only to the lead plaintiff in the case. According to court documents, police officers conducted a 30-minute strip search without the plaintiff’s consent and without legal grounds to do so. The woman, who was searched by a female officer, was forced to strip naked and remove her tampon. A male officer also reportedly entered the room mid-search. No drugs or prohibited items were found.

Officers lacked consent, trial set for May

Government lawyers conceded the officers “did not have reasonable grounds to suspect that the strip searches were necessary for the purposes of the search” and that they failed to obtain the plaintiff’s “consent,” breaching Section 34A of the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act.

Slater and Gordon lawyer Rory Walsh said the admission, though welcome, was long overdue. “Making this admission weeks out from the trial has meant that the representative plaintiff has had the prospect of being cross-examined as to her experience of being strip searched hanging over her head for the last two and half years,” he said. “It should not have taken this long for the NSW Police to admit to the truth.”

The NSW government claims the officers involved were not officially employed by NSW Police at the time.

The class action alleges systemic abuse, with Walsh stating, “The lawfulness of those searches will be the focus of evidence in the trial of the class action due to commence on May 5.”

Redfern Legal Centre’s Sam Lee said, “This isn’t just about music festivals. It’s about the rights of everyone and the need for police to follow the law.”