Background Results and Discussion 4. Mt Theo

- A community driven outstation program located near •Volatile substances (VS) are: •What is the impact of the new legislation? Yuendumu (350 km north west of ) - Volatile solvents - Courts can mandate treatment for individuals ‘at risk’ of severe - Developed by community members in the early 1990’s, and - Aerosols harm into appropriate programs petrol sniffing and other use has been effectively - Gases eradicated in Yuendumu as a result - Nitrates Two main elements to the Mt Theo program: Aromatic paints a) Mt Theo Outstation (a reactive treatment program) 140 •The regulation of legal substances such as VS is a contentious issue: Volatile Substances in an kilometers from Yuendumu - The misuse of VS is not a criminal act Alice Springs supermarket - Caters for ‘at risk’ Warlpiri individuals, who spend time •In Alice Springs there are four main programs set up to respond to - There is a genuine need for domestic products in the reconnecting with the land, learning Indigenous culture, volatile substance misuse: general population kinship connections and stories. There is also total lack of supply - Therefore can’t simply prohibit use Table 1: Primary responding programs in Alice Springs and their main roles - VS users are often coerced by the Yuendumu community and family groups to attend treatment at the outstation • Since 2002 new legislation has given police greater powers for Programs Main Roles responding to volatile substance misuse (VSM). Central Australian Youth Link Up • Individual case management, - Accepts those from Yuendumu, Alice Springs, Lajamanu, • In 2005 the prevalence of petrol sniffing began to decline Service (CAYLUS), in Alice Springs supply reduction and parliamentary Nyirrpi and Willowra because: lobbying - New volatile substance legislation was introduced: the BushMob, in Alice Springs • Acute treatment Volatile Substance Abuse Prevention Act (2005) (NT) - Low aromatic Opal fuel was rolled out across Central Ilpurla Outstation (260 km from • Family run treatment Alice Springs) Australia • Focus on detox and work program

Mt Theo, in Yuendumu (350km • Outstation and Jaru Pirrjirdi (youth north west of Alice Springs) program). Mentoring, career Introduction of VSAPA and Opal fuel pathways, holiday programs, women’s groups, other diversionary activities Mt Theo program head office at Yuendumu, 2008 b) Jaru Pirrjirdi (‘Strong Voices’) located in Yuendumu

Although court orders for all programs are based on health - Mentoring, youth program, careers pathways, school •Given the importance of VSM and the negative consequences • assessments, there are no adversarial consequences if a person holiday programs, sports, bush trips and other diversionary for individual users and communities, successful harm activities minimisation programs are crucial, particularly for Indigenous leaves a program. communities, due to the low cost, ease of accessibility and • This system promotes individual empowerment and - Jaru Pirrjirdi promotes empowerment through giving ex- availability of VS. responsibility, encouraging VS misusers to participate in their own substance misusers roles of responsibility in the community recovery. However, the geographical location of program - BUT... Also promotes passivity through community coercion outstations means that community coercion often plays a role in to attend treatment at the Mt Theo outstation treatment, and individuals often can’t leave even if they would like Aim to. Table 2: Forms of Intervention Offered at the Program Sites To identify existing programs for VS misusers in Alice Springs and to examine what factors (such as community empowerment) CAYLUS BushMob Ilpurla Mt Theo can affect the success of these programs. Prevention Yes No No Yes Treatment Refers clients to Yes Yes Yes Conclusion treatment Aftercare Yes (casework) Limited No Yes • For the most part, the current regulatory approach to VS in Empowerment Yes Yes No Yes (Jaru Alice Springs and is a success story. Method Pirrjirdi) No (Outstation) • Since the introduction of Opal Fuel and the VSAPA, petrol Design sniffing and other inhalant use has seen a significant reduction. VS programs that empower individuals are more likely to be Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with police, • effective, as they are designed for the community, and are policy makers / key informants, community members and Responses: community driven and owned. community workers, as well as five weeks of observation. 1. CAYLUS The importance of community ownership and empowerment Interview • cannot be overstated, as community members should be actively - Instrumental in the rollout of Opal fuel across Central Australia A semi-structured interview was administered to all engaged, self determined agents who are involved in the participants. The interview addressed demographics, policy - Works with individual case management and retailer supply regulatory process and not just passive recipients of public policy. frameworks, views of police, relationships between agencies reduction in Alice Springs But there are some problems such as: and how the new legislation worked in practice. • - Lobbies parliament on behalf of remote communities - Location of treatment programs Participants CAYLUS actively empowers communities and assists VS misusers • - Lack of follow-up care and community support in Alice The respondents (n = 34) were police, policy makers / key in finding their voices through case management and Springs informants, community workers, community members from parliamentary lobbying. Alice Springs and Darwin. 2. BushMob • Indigenous policy should be based on the assumption that its regulatory subjects are active, empowered, responsible agents. Observation - An acute responding agency This speaks to the way Indigenous policy should be approached Five weeks were spent on observation. This included across Australia. - Allows VS misusers to have a say in their choice of treatment, observation in town camps, remote communities, and agency their length of treatment and its delivery board meetings. - Allows substance users to leave the program at any time • This seems to restore individual empowerment and responsibility in their own treatment and recovery. Acknowledgements 3. Ilpurla - Detox work program This study was funded by an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) and supplemented by Postgraduate Research Support - Teaches new employment skills Scheme (PRSS) funding. Thank you to my supervisors David • Constrains individual responsibility and self-determination, Dixon and Janet Chan, and to all of my participants for depending on their levels of engagement with the program. providing invaluable information and shaping the project. Ilpurla Outstation, approximately 260 kilometres from Alice Springs