The Wire

Since 2005, the federal government has been doing its bit to try and stop petrol sniffing in remote Indigenous communities across Australia. One of the ways they have done this is introducing Opal fuel as a replacement for regular unleaded fuel.

Opal fuel contains only five per cent of the aromatic substances that make up a quarter of regular unleaded petrol – making it much less addictive. However, unleaded petrol is still readily available at other roadhouses. Those close to the issue say Opal fuel should be compulsory and paired with education programs to prevent the need for petrol sniffing in the first place.