Skip Navigation - jump to content
Search

OPAL; a tool in the fight against petrol sniffing in remote communities

Release date: 18 February 2005
BP Australia today confirmed the availability of its Opal product. Opal is a very low aromatic petrol blend which has been designed to reduce incidences of petrol sniffing in remote communities. The Australian Government’s financial support will allow the product to be priced at an equivalent local price.
A first for the industry, BP has been investigating the feasibility of removing the aromatics from regular unleaded petrol, which remote communities have found encourages petrol sniffing.

Mr. Gerry Hueston, President of BP Australia said “This is the first time a product has been specifically designed to assist remote communities and in particular Aboriginal communities fight petrol sniffing. The product meets all the fuel standards specifically for vehicles. As BP will make Opal available to all fuel companies, this is a crucial step for the industry.

“Importantly, Opal is only one step in the overall fight to address the issue of petrol sniffing. It does not address some of the root causes that contribute to sniffing behaviour in the first place. Acknowledging this, BP has also established a return to school program in conjunction with Yirara College in Alice Springs and Teen Challenge. This program has resulted in a total of 12 remote students who previously sniffed petrol resuming their studies during 2004.

“The introduction of Opal and the return to school program is one way of turning our words into action,” said Mr. Hueston.

Opal will be available in to remote communities which are currently registered for the Australian Governments Comgas scheme.

Any remote community which would like more information about accessing Opal should contact the Department of Health and Ageing 02 6289 5047.

Notes to editors:

  • Through Opal, BP is seeking to help reduce substance abuse within remote communities.
  • BP’s actions to introduce Opal and develop a return to school program has been taken after consulting widely with remote Aboriginal communities about petrol sniffing over the past two years and aims to align with recommendations from the following government reports into the impact of petrol sniffing
  • 2002 SA Coroner’s report
  • 2004 NT Parliamentary Inquiry
  • 2004 Federal Government Review of the Comgas Scheme
  • Opal will contain less that 5% aromatics, less than 0.005 Kg/L lead and less than 150 ppm sulphur.


    • The product will be blended by BP’s Kwinana refinery in Western Australia.
  • Opal has been developed in partnership with the Federal and Northern Territory Governments, Indigenous communities and educational bodies
  • BP has been investigating ways to reduce incidences since the 1990’s.
  • Opal has been assessed by an independent toxicologist Professor M, Moore from the University of Queensland who found it was the least toxic fuel when compared with regular unleaded and current Comgas
  • 12 students ranging from 11 to 17 years of age have resumed their studies through BP’s Return to school program developed by Yirara College in Alice Springs and Teen Challenge SA
    •
    For any media inquiries please contact:Bill Frilay on 03 9268 3880 or 0410 479 257

    In this section

    linkarrow BP Proposes to sell 28 South Australian Service Stations
    linkarrow Building a bigger picture of the Bight
    linkarrow BP Investment in Queensland Infrastructure Continues
    linkarrow BP Goodna Re-Opens For Business
    linkarrow BP Education Grants
     More
    back to top
      © 1996-2013 BP p.l.c.