Publisher Pan Macmillan has temporarily pulled supply of the Macquarie Junior Indigenous Atlas after concerns were raised over its content, including references to petrol sniffing and alcohol use that were criticised for lacking context.

In a brief statement issued on Monday, Pan Macmillan said the book would undergo a further round of “sensitivity” reading.

An image of a page in the book explaining petrol sniffing, taken from an advertising campaign.Credit:Twitter.

“Several items in this title have caused concern with members of the public, and, as the publisher, we take their comments seriously,” the statement said.

“We are temporarily withholding further supply of the Junior Atlas of Indigenous Australia from today (15 February 2022) in order to ensure it undergoes a further sensitivity read.”

While the statement did not say what the concerns were regarding, Bardi and Kija woman Sharon Davis criticised several sections of the book on social media last week alongside screenshots of pages explaining petrol sniffing and alcohol use.

"Hey @MacmillanAus… Just wondering the thought process behind including this kind of information in the Junior Atlas book for children, without referencing the cause(s) such as dispossession, genocide, colonisation etc etc?" she tweeted.

The page on petrol sniffing cited by Ms Davis discussed the issue without explaining causes for the problem.

“Since the 1970s the deliberate inhalation of petrol fumes has been a damaging form of drug use among younger people,” the page began, before explaining the health risks of the practice.

“In 2005, a low-aromatic lead-free fuel called Opal was made available. It lacked the ingredients which produced the ‘high’ sought by sniffers.”

“A large number of remote communities and nearby petrol stations replaced their standard fuel with Opal and the number of people sniffing petrol dropped dramatically.”

Another page on alcohol use was also criticised. “Although many Indigenous Australians do not drink alcohol at all, those who do are more likely to do so at dangerous levels,” it said.

Meanwhile, respected Wiradjuri author and university professor Anita Heiss, tweeted: "I am so disappointed by this [Macquarie Dictionary] publication."

Professor Heiss said the book failed to mention the Wiradjuri nation, one of the largest in NSW, and that it was “a glaringly obvious omission”.

The book, which is an adaption of the award-winning Macquarie Indigenous Atlas, is a collaborative publication between The Australian National University, the Bureau of Statistics, and Macquarie Dictionary.

According to its description on Pan Macmillan's website the information was adapted for a younger audience.

“It covers an extensive range of topics, such as deep history, Indigenous mapping, material culture, cultural and religious life, art, sport, language, environment and Country, social justice, education and health and wellbeing,” the website reads.

“The 130 maps, which form the core of the book, are supplemented by easy-to-read explanatory text and over 165 photographs, artworks, illustrations, charts and graphs.”

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