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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2454 ..

MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT LAND AND PLANNING

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

QUESTION NO 250

Downer - Testing for Contaminated Sites

Ms Tucker - asked the Minister for Environment Land and Planning - In relation to the conducting of experiments on plant diseases and the development of new plant varieties by the CSIRO's agricultural experimental station, on land that is now the suburb of Downer, during the 1940s and 1950s -

(1) What was the extent of the CSIRO experimental station.

(2) Were there (a) any cattle or sheep dips located in Downer; and (b) where were they located.

(3) Did the CSIRO (a) use any test pesticides on its experimental station; and (b) if so, what types.

(4) Has any part of Downer (a) ever been tested for soil contamination; or if not (b) are there any plans to conduct such testing.

(5) If it has been tested, (a) when and where was this sampling, undertaken; (b) who undertook the sampling; (c) what was the soil tested for, and (d) what was the result.

Mr Humphries - the answer to the Member's question is as follows:

(1) The CSIRO experimental station comprised Blocks 77, 78 and 79 of Deposited Plan 269. Together these blocks covered approximately 265 Hectare now in the suburb of Downer, and parts of Watson and Dickson. The station was approximately bounded by the present Antill Street, Hawdon Street, Majura Avenue, Phillip Avenue, Watson Shops, A'beckett Street (North), Federal Highway and Northbourne Avenue.

(2) (a) yes there was one sheep dip which was a spray dip.
(b) this sheep dip was located in the CSIRO depot within the experimental station.

(3) (a) The Registrar of Pesticides only has records, of registered pesticides and permits to use unregistered pesticides, back to 1989 so an officer of the Contaminated Sites Unit and the consultant investigated the history of pesticide usage at this site. They spoke to the CSlRO, particularly an employee who worked on the experimental station. The officer was told that there were no

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