Police say they’re disgusted that partygoers at the Omega Festival, which they have described as ‘an unauthorised electronic bush doof, on private land’ kept on partying after a young man died.
David Gallagher, a 24-year-old Green Pigeon man, was found dead in a vehicle at the festival at Newton Boyd, 80km west of Grafton, on Sunday afternoon.
The event had been moved from Aboriginal land at Tabulam after police intervened to prevent it going ahead there on Friday, wrongfully arresting an Aboriginal elder in the process.
Police say Omega Festival organisers refused their requests to stop the party after the man’s death, with people still revelling at 1.30pm on Monday.
Organisers have not posted any reference to the death on the event’s Facebook page and have yet to respond to Echonetdaily‘s requests for comment.
Police are yet to determine if the man’s death was drug-related.
Det Insp Jameson said he was ‘disgusted by the attitude of the partygoers and event organisers.’
‘In my 26 years in the force I’ve never seen such a strong disregard for human life than to continue an event when someone has died in front of you,’ he said.
More than 2,500 people flocked to the remote location for the Omega Festival long weekend rave, which began on Saturday afternoon.
The event had been hastily moved to Newton Boyd after Tenterfield Shire Council was granted an injunction by the NSW Land and Environment Court on Friday to prevent the festival from being held at an indigenous reserve in Tabulam, 200km to the north.
Newton Boyd is located in the neighbouring Clarence Valley Council area.
Coffs-Clarence detective inspector Darren Jameson said Omega organisers had not obtained approval from local council for the event.
Tenterfield Shire Mayor Peter Petty said Omega Festival organisers approached his council just three days before the event was scheduled.
‘They didn’t tick all the boxes and fill in the applications they were supposed to,’ Mr Petty said.
Event organisers later posted on Facebook that police had forced them from the Tabulam event ground.
‘We are left with no option but to relocate the festival,’ organisers wrote on Friday evening.
The festival was then moved to the location at Newton Boyd with the consent of the landowner.
Omega Festival has been contacted for comment.
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