The Turnbull government should make saving the Great Barrier Reef "an absolute priority", and green groups should be able to use existing laws to protect the environment, new polling has found.

The ReachTEL survey of 2636 respondents commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation found broadbased backing for the reef and the use of the courts to challenge new mines, even among self-described as Liberal-National Party supporters.

The poll was taken Tuesday, a day after an ACF challenge failed in the Federal Court against the federal government's approval of the giant Adani​ coal mine in Queensland. Some conservative politicians have accused green groups of using "lawfare​" to delay major projects by testing approvals in court.

Some 83 per cent of polled Coalition supporters, for instance, agreed with comments by Josh Frydenberg​, the environment and energy minister, that protecting the reef was "an absolute priority". That tally was close to the 86 per cent of all respondents who "strongly agreed" or "agreed" with the statement.