Page 3372 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 October 2022
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While the ACT government is leading the nation in responding to reducing the impact of our health infrastructure on our climate, we are also preparing the community and health services to respond to the impacts of climate change. Members will be aware that the government has, in recent years, responded to extreme weather events, bushfire smoke pollution, and outbreaks of emerging zoonotic diseases—that is, diseases transmitted from animals to humans, such as monkey pox and the aforementioned JEV. The government continues to work closely with the commonwealth and other jurisdictions to address these emerging zoonotic diseases through the collaborative development of national plans and response frameworks, enhanced surveillance and monitoring, and implementation of vaccine programs.
As members would be aware, and as Mr Davis has pointed out, we are also progressing delivery against our Bushfire Smoke and Air Quality Strategy 2021-2025, which is guiding the government’s approach to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from, significant bushfire smoke events. It maps a wide range of policy areas, including emergency management, regulation of environmental pollution, monitoring of air quality, public health advice warnings and directions, work health and safety, building standards, and support for business and our community. The first action plan includes actions for ACT directorates for the first two years of the strategy, covering 2021 to 2023, and the whole of government will report on progress of items at the end of this plan.
Two of the objectives in the strategy aim to improve monitoring of air quality. In order to address these objectives, ACT Health has initiated a study to assess options for expanding the air quality monitoring network, using low- and medium-cost sensors. This study investigates the reliability, accuracy, and limitations of low- and medium-cost sensors in providing air quality data in the Canberra environment. This information will then inform investigations into the most effective strategy to expand our current air quality monitoring, through the addition of complementary data from low- or medium-cost sensors. If my memory serves me correctly, we are due to get that report quite soon. I seem to recall that in my last response to Mr Davis on this matter I said that it would be in October.
In addition, forecasting capability options for the ACT are being explored. This is occurring through partnerships and engagement with interstate governments and relevant organisations. Consideration of forecasting options includes assessment of the tools available and the relevance of different forecasting models to the Canberra region, with its unique topography. This work is critical to the government because we know that health services will bear a significant burden from the impacts of climate change—of which smoke is just one example—and we will see additional demand from related acute and chronic morbidity as a consequence of climate change.
The consequences of climate change to health, housing, livelihood and security will disproportionately impact disadvantaged individuals and communities, including First Nations peoples, older people, those with disabilities and those living in poverty. The Chief Health Officer has a key role to play in establishing and reporting on relevant data against resilience indicators. A new approach to the biennial Chief Health Officer’s report will enable more frequent topic-based reporting. I am sure that the Chief Health Officer will be keen to support our response to climate change through data collection and reporting.
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