Petrol sniffing outbreak feared in Indigenous community

There are fears that youths living in Papunya are likely to return to petrol sniffing after the aid organisation World Vision recently withdrew from the central Australian community.

World Vision says it has withdrawn from Papunya, west of Alice Springs, because it can not work with the local community council.

It had been providing a range of activities for children and youths to try and break down their dependency on sniffing.

A former World Vision worker, Connor Perritt, says young people living in Papunya will now have little to do.

"I can only imagine that they sit there all day and all night now sniffing," he said.

"Whereas as I said at least whilst World Vision were there, they were given alternatives and who knows, the whole idea was to spark an interest in something.

"If you can save some kids, if you can give them alternatives and spark an interest in something and you could they could go anywhere, but as I said I just don't think they've got those opportunities now."

Newshawk: Peak Oil
Pubdate: 25th November 2004
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Website: http://www.abc.net.au
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Copyright: 2004 Australian Broadcasting Corporation