Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present follow-up information received by the Standing Committee on Community Affairs on an inquiry by the former references committee into petrol sniffing in Aboriginal communities, and move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

In speaking to that motion, I should record that the Senate community affairs committee has been very active in following developments that occur in areas that have been the subject of recent inquiries. Just yesterday, senators agreed to refer an ongoing matter relating to mental health to the committee. That is an indication of our desire to follow up on issues that were raised previously by a select committee. We also believe it is very important to maintain government and community focus on these issues.

The report to the committee from the Central Australian Youth Link-up Service, CAYLUS, that I have just tabled provides information on progress with petrol sniffing prevention initiatives in Central Australia that follow the committee’s inquiry into petrol sniffing. The committee’s report in June 2006 made a number of recommendations, including supporting an extended rollout of non-sniffable Opal fuel, developing longer term community based programs especially working with young people and widening the coverage of the eight-point plan.

The committee met with representatives of CAYLUS this week and is very pleased to report the tangible improvements that have occurred following completion of the committee’s inquiry. The report from CAYLUS stated:

There has been a huge reduction in petrol sniffing in remote communities in our region as a result of the Opal roll out. In most communities there is now a strong opposition to the return of inhalant abuse. This cessation of sniffing has already had positive effects on rates of STDs, school attendance, staff and community morale ... The challenge is now to provide young people with new options in their lives now that sniffing culture is broken.

In meeting this challenge, a regional youth program infrastructure is required. In particular, youth programs are required in the areas that have now been included within the extended eight-point plan and in communities east of the Stuart Highway. CAYLUS also commented:

Without the required funds, it is possible that the early success of Opal will be lost, as the window to address the underlying causes of inhalant and other substance abuse may close.

The committee strongly supports the initiatives proposed by CAYLUS in the tabled paper to ensure that the advances that have been made are not lost and that the initial gains made by the Opal strategy can be made sustainable in the long term.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would also like to speak to the motion regarding the additional information received by the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs that has been tabled and to congratulate the communities that have had such a positive response to the rollout of Opal.

For those of us who were lucky enough to go to the Remotefest short film festival on Monday night and see some of the short films that had been made about the Opal rollout and how communities were dealing with petrol sniffing in remote communities, it was very exciting to see some of the successful programs, the creativity of the film makers and the joy of the young people who were featured in the films. It really was heart-warming to see these films and a change from some of the negative stories that we hear.

As the CAYLUS report that has been tabled today highlights, there have been some very positive outcomes to the rollout of Opal fuel, which, as Senator Humphries said just a moment ago, was one of the recommendations from the Senate report in attempting to renew hope in remote communities. Some of the other recommendations went to some of the other issues that need to be dealt with if we are going to successfully eradicate petrol sniffing permanently. They relate to diversionary programs, to youth support workers and to the need for infrastructure for those youth workers. The CAYLUS report stated:

It appears the capacity of the communities to deal with inhalant abuse has been greatly enhanced by the Opal supply reduction strategy. This has provided an environment in which communities and services can achieve improved health and social order outcomes. This requires a commitment of funds for infrastructure and youth programs in order to capitalise on this initial success.

This is what we really need to focus on now. For a start, while there has been positive success in a number of communities, there are still other communities that need the rollout of Opal and it is absolutely essential that infrastructure and ongoing youth programs and funding for those programs are provided. For example, accommodation for youth workers is urgently needed. Although some accommodation has been built, as I understand it, it is not being used as yet. These sorts of issues are absolutely vital.

CAYLUS also pointed out in their report and on Monday night that 23 young people who had been through the Mount Theo program have achieved employment in the community in Central Australia. So not only is this having successful health and social outcomes; youth who have been through a whole succession of programs are now finding employment. The holistic approach that was pointed out in the Senate committee report is absolutely critical.

CAYLUS also pointed out in their report that, through the eight-point plan, the rollout of Opal has been extended to other communities, which is dealing with the supply issue, but further resources are needed to deal with demand reduction programs. What the Greens are certainly asking government to urgently look at now is the provision of additional funds for infrastructure support for the youth diversionary programs so that this scourge can be permanently eradicated.

We are making a really good start, but it is too early for self-congratulation because we have been there before with avgas. We started to get some success with avgas but communities gradually fell back into sniffing, which is why we need to learn from those mistakes of the past and really get behind the call for additional resources and the supply of them so that this program truly is successful. As the committee pointed out when we tabled the report last year, we want this to be the last report on petrol sniffing. Progress is being made towards that and we truly hope that it is.

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

Madam Acting Deputy President Crossin, I am sure that my comments will reflect many of your own ideas on this issue. I am sure that you would have liked to have been speaking at this stage. I also wish to add a couple of comments on this issue. I congratulate the chair of the committee, Senator Humphries, for bringing forward the supplementary comments on this process. As he said in his statement, the role of our committee does not end when we actually put forward a report. In the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs we have been privileged to have involvement with a range of very important social issues over the last couple of years since I have been here. Too often at the end of that process you table your report, there is a focus on the issue for a short time and then, to all intents and purposes, that is the end of the process.

We do not accept that statement. In terms of the issues which our committee has been able to look at, we believe that there is a responsibility for the committee and, indeed, the parliament to continue involvement and to have a monitoring role to make sure that the recommendations and the real pain that has been brought forward in so many of our inquiries are continued to be felt by this body. Also, we should celebrate ongoing success. This is the real story out of the information we have before us on petrol sniffing today.

In terms of the information that has come forward by reviews of what is happening in Central Australia, it has been an amazingly successful story. The rollout of Opal, which was a strong recommendation of our community affairs committee, has proceeded. As that has proceeded, the scourge of petrol sniffing has been reduced in those communities. Certainly, we encourage ongoing activity around the recommendations of the committee, which means that Opal must be available across all communities in our country that suffer from—and I keep saying this—the scourge of petrol sniffing.

No-one can remain immune to the pain of these issues when you have families, people who have survived this process and mothers come before us. For me—and I have said this before—one of the most impressive parts of our committee activity was having the mothers of Central Australia come to us and talk about their pain for their children.

We have had some success with the rollout of Opal, but that is not the end of the issue. That is indeed the import of the CAYLUS papers that have come before us today. We are talking about what happens next. The success is vulnerable. It needs to be strengthened by ensuring the community programs which are also recommended in the community affairs report and the eight-point plan. It is important that that support infrastructure is funded effectively over a sustained period and community strength is reinforced in these areas so that there will not be any rollback into the issues of petrol sniffing or the finding of other ways of escaping from what we saw as the hopelessness of the people in the communities. They sensed that their educational opportunities, employment opportunities and hope for the future were not there.

In fact, one of the more enjoyable parts of this work is when you can work together across all parties to learn and recommend changes that can be implemented positively. On behalf of all of us, we celebrate the success that has been achieved. Again, we congratulate the amazing work of CAYLUS. The workers of that organisation and their support in that area must be acknowledged. Their role must be effectively resourced by governments.

We must be able to move forward to ensure that the young people of our community do not feel the despair that forces them into taking any option to escape. Petrol sniffing is but one of the options people take up. We have been able to amend that activity through the implementation of Opal. We have much more work to do. We can work effectively across governments, across parties and with the community to ensure that this is a success. But we actually should take some time today to celebrate the hope that has been reinforced by people moving away from petrol sniffing and back into taking active roles in their communities. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.