Petrol sniffing now seen as 'uncool'

Youth workers say the perception of petrol sniffing has changed radically in the central Australian Indigenous community of Papunya.

Blair McFarland, from the central Australian Youth Link-Up Service, says petrol sniffing is now seen as something to be ashamed of.

He says the community had been free of petrol sniffing for about six months, when it won the football grand final last year.

He says nearly a year after the win, young people in the community have realised how much the habit was holding them back.

"It's a culture change that really has to happen, if you really want to knock it on the head, and the same thing happened in Yuendumu, after 12 years of the Mount Theo program," he said.

"It just got to be uncool to sniff petrol."

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Wed, 22 Aug 2007
Source: Australian Broadcasting Commission (Australia-Web)
Website: http://www.abc.net.au/