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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (18 April) . . Page.. 1125 ..

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, LAND AND PLANNING

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

QUESTION 158

Noise Pollution - Environmental Noise

Mr Moore - asked the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning

In relation to the answer to the question on notice No.101, provided by the Minister for Sport and Recreation which suggests that health can be affected only by noise at a level that causes actual physical damage to hearing. The Minister said "the levels arising from motor sports (in the ACT).....are substantially below the occupational health and safety standards recommended by Worksafe Australia......Clearly noise (from motor racing) is not a health issue" for the nearby community. This ignores the consequences on a community 's health of intrusive environmental noise, which are universally accepted by the World Health Organisation and noise experts -

(1) What is the relevance of occupational noise limits formulated to avoid hearing loss by those working in industry, for administering ACT law on intrusive environmental noise.

(2) Which noise experts advocate use of occupational noise limits to administer law on environmental noise.

(3) In advocating the use of occupational noise limits to administer ACT law on intrusive environmental noise, have the Ministers and the Government determined -

(a) which other jurisdictions adopt such an approach:

(b) the views of the Australian/New Zealand Environment Consultative Council on such an approach

(c) the effect of such an approach on the ACT's responsibilities under the Intergovernment Agreement on the Environment; and

(d) whether any precedents for such an approach exist anywhere.

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