Tony Crook (O'Connor, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Health. In March this year, the federal government announced a $2.3 million program to roll out Opal fuel into the Northern Goldfields of Western Australia, the Central Desert and the Ngaanyatjarra Lands to curb the alarming occurrence of petrol sniffing. While the announcement advised that Opal would be available from mid-2010, the rollout of Opal fuel to the Northern Goldfields is yet to occur. Petrol sniffing, along with other substance abuse, is a major problem in this region and it is destroying lives and communities. Can the minister please inform the House as to when Opal fuel will be available in these communities and, secondly, what measures are being put in place to ensure that regular unleaded fuel is prevented from reaching these communities?

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