Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Santoro, the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing. Is the minister aware of reports that six petrol stations in Alice Springs that had agreed to stock non-sniffable Opal fuel have now stopped using it because of community fears that it could damage car engines? Further, is the minister aware of the concerns that these misplaced fears have arisen because of the lack of information about this important fuel? Didn’t the use of Opal fuel in Alice Springs reduce the number of known petrol sniffers from 100 to fewer than six? Is the minister aware of fears that, with unleaded fuel back into pumps and with the onset of the wet season, the number of petrol sniffers and the pain to the community will again start to increase? What action is the government taking to respond to the decision by petrol stations in Alice Springs to stop stocking Opal?