At this week’s Mount Isa City Council meeting, Cr Brett Petersen suggested making forward movement to introduce opal fuel (low aromatic fuel) into the community.

“It is used extensively over in the (Northern) Territory and a study that came out in July 2012 - whilst there was a subsidy required by the federal government for bringing the fuel in to the Northern Territory - it saved $17 million in social and health costs in the Territory over a 12 month period and that’s a phenomenal amount of money to save,” he said.

“But it’s not just social and health costs, these kids are as young as six and kids up to their late teens are actually sniffing fuel in town here and it’s something that I’d like to see us get a better understanding of this opal fuel...but if we can make a start or have a discussion about it, to have a look and see what we can do.

“I think it’s something that we as a council can try an put forward in regards to a better and safer community.”

Opal fuel is not available in Mount Isa or surrounding areas and the closest Queensland suppliers are in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York. 

Opal fuel is a more expensive fuel to produce, but the Australian Government has subsidised its production so it costs the same as unleaded petrol for consumers.

Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon said yesterday that supported by the Gillard Labour Government, Mount Isa would be a key focus of the future rollout to the Gulf of Carpentaria, with low aromatic fuel expected to be available in the region from early 2014.

Mr Snowdon has offered to facilitate a meeting involving himself, Mount Isa Mayor Tony McGrady and a Commonwealth representative to discuss the issue and gauge support for a voluntary transfer of all local sites to low aromatic fuel.

Mr Snowdon said opal fuel was already being delivered to Doomadgee and Mornington Island, but there were challenges with supplying the large volumes required to the whole of Mount Isa, prior to the establishment of the bulk storage facility in Darwin.

“The Department has contracted Shell Australia to supply low aromatic fuel to the Top End of Northern Territory, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York and the East Kimberley,” he said. 

“Shell Australia currently runs a fuel storage facility in Mount Isa, which will receive fuel via the bulk storage facility in Darwin.”

The proposed rollout of opal fuel follows the passing of new legislation to regulate the use of regular unleaded petrol in certain areas of Australia as a measure to combat substance abuse and was passed in the House of Representatives last month.

Mount Isa’s Young People Ahead (YPA) manager Alvin Hava has been advocating the switch to opal fuel for more than 15 years.

“There’s no cost involved for residents, but there is a huge cost to the city in terms of the health of our young people with sniffing,” he said.

“It’s a no-brainer, everyone else is doing it in remote Indigenous communities, I don’t know why they haven’t done anything about it yet.”