Thank you Graham Ring for your humanitarian article on 'petrol sniffing'. As you write, it is now possible to minimise this tragedy - if Minister Abbott changes his mind and decides that, after all, it is not "too hard" and not too expensive to roll-out lead-free Opal petrol (as well as encouraging the use of diesel engines) in remote Aboriginal communities. One of the reasons for the loss of the authority of the Elders of these communities is the refusal of the federal government to help them to achieve their founding right to self-government within the dominant society. Regional agreements that set up the degree of autonomy now achieved by the Torres Strait Islanders would be an improvement on the present 'welfare trap' situation so well-described by Noel Pearson. barbh

I have a desire to comment as well barb - but I am not a card carrying indigenous Australian - and therefore run the risk of getting my head bitten off (again) - so I won't.

If OLO's indigenous ambassador invites me - I will.

Opal is vital to communities in central Australia. Sniffing is endemic, with the problem being far more insidious than most realise. The southern NT, Northern SA region will be largely uninhabited in 10 years unless something is done to address this problem. I personally have witnessed 2 & 3 generations of some families walking through communities, sniffing petrol. I have encountered the inability of the SA police to prevent it. Petrol in that region is sneaking toward $2 / L now, therefore opal is a viable alternative.

NB The petrol is currently run into these areas by external persons, and is sold at between $20 - $50 / L, because the stores on communities may only currently sell AVGAS. Therefore any introduction of Opal would have to be uniform across the region.