Were young people who chrome invited to attend the recent Parliamentary Inquiry to talk about what they do or why they do it?
They have the relevant experience to make a genuine contribution to this debate and they come up with some creative solutions. These will certainly be more realistic than the prohibitive strategies suggested by Dr Napthine.
Banning the sale of spray paint to minors may make chroming less accessible. But those young people who want to chrome will find ways to do so. Just like young people who want to smoke find ways to obtain cigarettes. It was ever thus.
Rather than suggest one-stop solutions for young people’s chroming habits, it may be more fruitful to build strategies with young people who chrome. Given the opportunity, young people may develop practical strategies that are relevant to them, and provide support for those who want to stop.
First published as a letter to The Age 24 June 2002.