The nation's peak doctors body has called for pill testing trials after two young people died of suspected drug overdoses at a major Australian music festival but the NSW premier and police minister insist it won't happen.
A 21-year-old Victorian woman and a 23-year-old Sydney man died and three more revellers were taken to hospital in a critical condition after the Defqon.1 music festival at Penrith on Saturday.
About 700 revellers in the 30,000-strong crowd required medical attention at the Sydney event.
There have been tragedies at the same festival in past years. In both 2013 and 2015 men in their 20s died while attending Defqon.1.
Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone says law enforcement can't be the sole strategy when it comes to dealing with illicit drugs.
Pill testing allows people to anonymously submit samples for on-the-spot forensic analysis to determine their composition.
A trial at a major Australian music festival in 2016 found two in three people wouldn't consume a pill if a test showed it contained methamphetamine.
"It's an opportunity to try and inform ... about the dangerous consequences and try to get an opportunity to give them education and access to rehabilitation in terms of trying to reduce their drug dependency," Dr Bartone told Sky News on Monday.
Dr Bartone said his organisation was clear that "proper co-ordinated clinical trials" were needed to see if pill testing did have a role to play.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has vowed to never allow another Defqon.1 festival to be held in NSW and vehemently ruled out government-backed testing of illicit drugs.
Police Minister Troy Grant says the coalition "is not going to use taxpayers' money to put some sort of quality control measure (in place) for drug producers and suppliers".
Mr Grant argued pill testing would give users a false sense of security, as did senior federal minister Peter Dutton.
"We need to recognise that if you're buying a pill from some organised crime group or from a bikie ... know that you have a real risk of overdosing or purchasing something that's going to cause you great harm," Mr Dutton told reporters in Canberra.
But other state MPs have called for pill testing, amnesty bins and harm minimisation measures to be introduced.
Federal Greens leader Richard Di Natale says the most recent deaths were entirely preventable.
"There is very clear evidence that shows if pill testing is available it can save people's lives," he told reporters on Monday.
A 28-year-old Jamisontown woman and a 19-year-old Artarmon who were taken to hospital in a critical condition after the festival were stable on Monday afternoon.
