VOLATILE SUBSTANCES: COORDINATING PETROL-SNIFFING PROGRAMS FOR ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN A FEDERAL SYSTEM

Abstract: This paper considers the problems involved in coordinating policy in a federal system. It examines the programs developed to control petrol-sniffing in South Australian Aboriginal communities and analyses the processes which determined policy outcomes. Both intergovernmental and intragovern-mental factors are identified as contributing to the failure to achieve coordination. The particular characteristics of Aboriginal Affairs as a concurrent constitutional responsibility combined with its position as a client-specific portfolio impede efficiency in matters of funding, definition of administrative jurisdiction and political commitment to cooperative action.