The Wire

Today the Greens have called on the Federal government to make subsidised non-sniffable petrol widely available in remote indigenous communities. Petrol sniffing is a problem that is a scourge in some remote indigenous communities. A delegation of elders from the Yuendumu community in Central Australia, have been visiting in Canberra, hosted by the Greens, and have backed calls for a ban on sniffable petrol. The Greens claim that petrol sniffing can be reduced if the government subsidizes petrol that contains very low levels of aromatic hydrocarbons. that’s the substance that gives the user a high if inhaled. The government announced last month that it would investigate the feasibility of providing non-sniffable petrol on a more widespread basis in remote communities. However, one indigenous health worker has told the Wire that additional counseling assistance must be rolled out alongside any petrol program to ensure that indigenous communities can avoid substance abuse problems in the long-term. This report by Erica Vowles begins with comments from Greens Party Leader Senator Bob Brown.