Santo Santoro (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate the question from Senator Siewert because it enables me to meet my commitment to get back to the Senate as quickly as possible in relation to an issue about which I have now received a brief. I inform the Senate that the only information—and this needs to be stressed—on the potential increase in petrol sniffing is from anecdotal sources. I can inform the Senate that due to concerns about the impact of unleaded Opal fuel in Alice Springs, Mobil and Caltex reverted to supplying regular unleaded fuel rather than the unleaded Opal fuel. Both companies have agreed that they would only return to supplying unleaded Opal fuel when there was a substantial education information campaign in Alice Springs to support the reintroduction of unleaded Opal fuel and when the BP Australia guarantee on unleaded Opal applied to their outlets as well as compensation for the replacement of pump seals.

A recent supply chain audit on unleaded fuel in Alice Springs conducted by BP Australia indicated that the seven retail samples taken met specifications and quality standards for unleaded fuel. This demonstrates that the unleaded Opal fuel complies with the Australian fuel standards as a 91 octane unleaded fuel product. There were two fuel samples taken from customer complaints. In the first customer sample associated with engine failure, the fuel was premium unleaded and was not in fact unleaded Opal fuel. The second customer sample was a fuel mixture that included unleaded Opal fuel which showed signs of ageing along with discoloration and low vapour pressure. The original fuel in the tank—not unleaded Opal fuel, I stress—had passed its use-by date. Therefore the problems do not appear to be as a result of unleaded Opal fuel.

On 18 October—getting very specifically to Senator Siewert’s question—the Ministerial Committee on Government Communications endorsed a proposal for market research. The market research was undertaken in mid-November 2006 with a series of focus group tests and in-depth interviews with the fuel and motor industry and community members in Alice Springs. The discussion from the focus groups indicated that there is insufficient information for residents to understand or make an informed decision about using unleaded Opal fuel. Negative publicity needs to be countered with clear and factual information about Opal. The department intends to take a comprehensive communications strategy, including creative public relations and research briefs, to the MCGC for their approval on 12 December 2006.

The strategy and briefs have been informed by the recent market research undertaken. On 25 October 2006 the department met with all fuel distributors, including Shell and Woolworths, in Alice Springs to discuss strategies for the complete replacement of regular unleaded fuel with unleaded Opal fuel. All fuel distributors indicated that they are committed to full replacement with unleaded Opal fuel. However, a detailed communications strategy to overcome negative public opinion is required to support the product’s reintroduction, and this needs to be done, I am advised, along with very serious consultation with members of the communities up there in Alice Springs. It is expected that the communications material will be ready to be released in February 2007 to support the full replacement of unleaded Opal fuel in Alice Springs. The strategy will focus on educating residents and tourists in Alice Springs about the effectiveness of unleaded fuel to overcome negative public perceptions.

I wish to stress that the reason why the campaign is being rolled out in this way is that there is a very real commitment by the government to involve members of the Aboriginal communities in Alice Springs, particularly the elders, to produce a communications strategy that will be effective. It is no use throwing good money after bad. Unless the communications strategy has the imprimatur and the acceptance of the leaders of that community, the advice the government has is that it will fail.