Labor, Greens voters back testing of pills

A Newspoll has found 56 per cent of people in NSW believe pill testing should be permitted at music festivals.

The majority of NSW people support allowing pill testing at music festivals.

Labor and Greens voters in NSW overwhelmingly favour government-backed pill testing at music festivals, while Coalition voters are more likely to oppose such a move, leading to overall support.

A Newspoll conducted in NSW has found 56 per cent of people polled believe the testing should be permitted, with 35 per cent opposed and 9 per cent ­uncommitted.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is adamant she will not allow the testing of pills containing illega­l drugs, while NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller and Victorian Police Commissioner Graham Ashton are also strongly opposed.

The issue has erupted in the wake of five deaths in the past six months from drug overdoses at festivals.

The Newspoll found 49 per cent of Coalition ­voters opposed pill testing, while 45 per cent supported it and 6 per cent were uncommitted.

Of Labor voters, 72 per cent were in favour and 20 per cent against, indicating why NSW ­Opposition Leader Michael Daley has left the door open to a drug summit, if elected at the state election on March 23, to discuss the issue rather than oppose such a move.

Among Greens supporters, support rises to 77 per cent, with 15 per cent opposition.

There is also a clear difference in opinion in different age groups.

In the 18-34-year-old age group, 68 per cent support pill testing, 22 per cent oppose it and 10 per cent remain uncommitted.

 

There is similar strong support in the 35-49-year-old category (61 per cent in favour, 31 per cent against, 8 per cent undecided).

But in the 50 years and older cohort, numbers in favour and against are equal at 45 per cent, with 10 per cent uncommitted.

A review of how to handle the drug issue, commissioned by the Premier and which has been conducte­d by Mr Fuller, Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant and the head of the Independent Liquo­r and Gaming Authority, Philip Crawford, is ­expected to repor­t soon and to ­recommend against pill-testing.

On Wednesday, Ms Berejik­lian reiterated when asked about MDMA or ecstasy: “I’ve made my position on this abundantly clear: there is no safe way to take illicit drugs.”

The Australian has learned that at the Australia Day weekend music festivals, 1000 condoms used to smuggle in drugs were found in the clean-up.

It is also understood that the provision of expert medical teams by the government is said to have prevented fatal overdoses on the Australia Day long weekend ­because patients were able to be quickly transported to hospital.

A NSW Health spokeswoman said: “NSW Health’s message to young people attending music festivals is always to seek emergenc­y care immediately if feeling unwell for any reason but particularly if they, or someone they know, has consumed illicit drugs.’’

NSW was the first state in Australi­a to provide critical-care retrieval teams for high-risk music festivals.

Presently, festival organisers contract private medical providers to deliver on-site medical care to patrons.