Almost 60 per cent of NSW voters support pill testing at music festivals despite the state government’s refusal to consider it, exclusive new polling reveals one week after two people died at a dance party.

The Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, last week set up an expert panel to investigate how to make music festivals safer after two suspected drug overdoses at the Defqon 1 dance festival in Penrith last Saturday.

But the panel will not consider the merits of pill testing, Ms Berejiklian said. Labor also opposes pill testing.

New ReachTel polling for the Sun Herald asked 1627 voters on Thursday night if they supported recreational drug testing at music festivals, with 56.7 per cent saying they did.

Just over 34 per cent of voters said they did not support it and 8.6 per cent were unsure, the polling shows.

The strongest support for pill testing came from voters in the 35-50 age bracket.

Ms Berejiklian initially said that Defqon would be shut down, after four deaths were reported at the festival in five years.

But the Premier backed away from her position the next day, and instead said the event “in its current form needs to improve its safety requirements”.

– Alexandra Smith

Read More: Voters Back Pill Testing Despite Government’s Opposition

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