Nothing to be sniffed at?

Opal fuel to be rolled out across NT. 05/07/2006. ABC News Online


Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott has announced the Commonwealth will spend $5 million per year subsidising the roll-out of non-sniffable Opal fuel in Alice Springs and at roadhouses on the Stuart Highway.
The Federal Government already spends $7 million supplying Opal to remote central Australian communities.
Youth workers say the program has been remarkably successful in slashing petrol sniffing in those areas and should be extended to other areas to stop petrol trafficking.
Mr Abbott says planning for the full roll-out will begin immediately.
He says petrol retailers in Alice Springs will not be forced to sell the fuel but he is confident the option will be taken up.
"I would imagine that the businesses of Alice Springs would be just as committed to trying to do the right thing by Indigenous people as is the Federal Government," he said.
"I think the businesses of Alice Springs would want to play their part in the fight against petrol sniffing and certainly once it's available it should be supplied."
Mr Abbott says it would take new legislation, both federal and and territory, to make the sale of Opal compulsory.
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