Scullion wants jail for petrol traffickers

CLP Senator Nigel Scullion has called for mandatory prison sentences for anyone caught trafficking petrol in the Northern Territory.

Senator Scullion told an Alice Springs Town Council meeting that he recently visited the Papunya community in Central Australia where he saw eight-year-olds sniffing petrol next to their parents.

Senator Scullion said that while petrol is not available at Papunya it is being trafficked in.

“Those people whoa re determined to cause misery in these communities need to be taken away from the communities for three to five years, no choice, hard action,” he said.

Senator Scullion reiterated the CLP’s position that petrol sniffing should be illegal, giving police more power to force petrol sniffers into care or treatment.

He said petrol trafficking is as serious a crime as people smuggling.

“This is an area where we have moved to have mandatory sentencing … principally because they traffic in human misery,” Senator Scullion said.

“I don’t think there’s anything different at all with those people who smuggle substances into these communities and I think they should be dealt with in the same way.”

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org/petrol.html
Pubdate: Thur, 29 September 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/