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NSW Greens senator David Shoebridge has slammed police as wasting resources after being stopped at a roadside drug test during Nimbin’s MardiGrass festival.

A NSW Greens senator has criticised the scale of a police operation at Nimbin’s ‘MardiGrass’ after being stopped during a routine roadside breath and drug test.

David Shoebridge was pulled over on his way into the annual Nimbin MardiGrass, later sharing footage of the interaction and questioning the number of officers involved.

In the video, Mr Shoebridge asks police how many officers are stationed at the roadside stop, before complying with both a breath test and drug test.

During the exchange, he described the operation as a “waste of public resources”.

In a statement, Mr Shoebridge expanded on his concerns, saying the policing effort around the event was excessive.

MardiGrass is an annual cannabis law reform rally held in Nimbin.

“Every year we see police targeting Nimbin and Mardigrass with police from around the state apparently having nothing better to do than see if someone driving a Kombi had a joint a few days ago,” he said.

“It’s an obscene waste of resources and I will not be silent about it.”

Mr Shoebridge said his criticism was not directed at road safety enforcement itself, but at how drug testing laws are applied.

“The Greens are absolutely committed to safe roads. That’s exactly why we oppose a testing regime that targets and catches people who aren’t impaired,” he said.

“This program undermines road safety because the public see it for what it is, a political project not a safety campaign.”

He argued the current system focuses on detecting trace amounts of drugs rather than impairment.

“Police drug testing drivers is not random and not evidence based, it targets traces of drugs like cannabis and catches those using medicinal products or who had a joint a few days ago with no actual impairment,” he said.

“If the NSW Police really cared about road safety they would be looking at the wide array of drugs including legal drugs and testing at levels that actually reflect impairment and risk.”

Shoebridge said roadside testing should be reformed to better target impaired drivers.

“We need to get a roadside drug testing regime that targets anyone behind the wheel who is impaired by any drug,” he said.

“That’s the goal, and what happens around Nimbin every year misses that goal by a country mile.”

NSW Police routinely conduct high-visibility roadside testing operations during major events and festivals as part of road safety and drug driving enforcement.

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