This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

An overwhelming majority of voters in the latest Guardian Essential poll say they support pill testing.

The survey of 1,089 respondents, taken between 9 and 13 January found 63% of voters support pill testing where trained counsellors provide risk-reduction advice informed by on-site laboratory analysis of people’s drugs.

The strong level of support crosses party-political lines. The poll found 57% of Liberal/National voters support pill testing, though support is strongest among Labor (73%) and Greens (74%) voters.

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Just 24% of voters oppose the idea, and roughly 12% say they “don’t know” if they support it or not.

During the survey period, central coast teenager Alex Ross-King, 19, was taken to hospital from the Fomo festival at Parramatta Park in Sydney, suffering a suspected drug overdose. She subsequently died. It was the fifth drug-related festival death in four months and has reignited debate about the benefits or otherwise of pill-testing.

Ross-King’s relatives have called on New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian to introduce pill-testing immediately so other families would not suffer but Berejiklian said she remained opposed “in the absence of evidence” that it would make young people safer.

The Essential poll – the first of 2019 – also shows Scott Morrison’s attempt to gain voter support over the Christmas holiday period has been in vain.

The Labor opposition remains ahead of the government on the two-party preferred measure by 53% to 47%. Three weeks ago, the numbers were the same, and at the beginning of December.

The Coalition’s primary vote is 38% and Labor is on 38%.

Morrison’s total approval rating has increased slightly. When asked if they approved or disapproved of the job he was doing as prime minister, 43% of voters said they approved, up from 42% in December.

However, Morrison’s disapproval rating has increased noticeably, at 39% (up 5 points from 34% in December). Just under a fifth of people (18%) could not give an opinion on his leadership of the country.

Of Liberal/National voters, 77% approve of the job Morrison is doing (no change from December) compared to 24% of ALP voters, 24% of Greens and 36% of other voters.

Bill Shorten’s numbers follow a similar pattern.

When asked if they approved or disapproved of the job he was doing as opposition leader, 35% approved (no change from last month), and 47% disapproved (up 4% points from 43%).

Support among Labor voters for Shorten is not as high as support among Coalition supporters for Morrison.

66% of ALP voters approved of the job Shorten is doing, compared to 29% of Greens voters and 22% of Liberal/National voters.

Shorten has positive approval among 18-34 year olds, with 41% approving and 34% disapproving. However 57% of those aged over 55 disapprove of his performance as opposition leader, and just 34% approved.

Voters were also asked about the anti-immigration rally of far right extremists at Melbourne’s St Kilda beach earlier this month.

It found 74% of voters agreed with the statement “there is no place in Australian society for the use of racist and fascist symbols used by participants in the rally”, while 17% disagreed and 9% said they did not know.

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However, a similar amount (73%) agreed with the statement “Australians have the right to peacefully protest, no matter how extreme their views”, while 19% disagreed.

Nearly two-thirds of voters (60%) said those attending the rally did not represent the views of the majority of Australians, while 27% believed they did.

Almost half (48%) agreed that “Scott Morrison demonstrated poor leadership by not immediately condemning the rally, and those who attended it, in stronger terms”. 36% disagreed with the statement, and 16% said they didn’t know.

Just 22% agreed that “It was appropriate for Queensland senator Fraser Anning to use taxpayer money to attend the rally”, with 48% strongly disagreeing with this statement and 66% disagreeing overall.