Page 1648 - Week 05 - Thursday, 7 April 2005
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(1) to (13) Refer to the operation of Sections 47K and 47L of the Dangerous Substances (Asbestos) Amendment Act 2004. These sections of the Act do not commence until 2006.The Asbestos Assessment Task Force is considering these issues as part of its report to the Legislative Assembly, due in August this year. It is appropriate that we await the advice of the Task Force.
(14) Housing ACT is not required to survey each of its properties for asbestos. The new legislation requires all property owners, including Housing ACT, to inform tenants or prospective tenants or tradespeople or anyone who is asked to work on the property what they know about materials containing asbestos at the property.
(15) Housing ACT will comply with the legislation, which does not currently require an asbestos report to be undertaken. Once the formal requirements of Sections 47K and 47L of the legislation commence, Housing ACT will obtain asbestos reports as required.
(16) The cost of undertaking asbestos reports is not known yet. Housing ACT undertakes condition audits on its properties. Audits done as part of the rolling program will in future include visual identification of asbestos. It is not anticipated that this will significantly add to the cost of the reports. Tenants of Housing ACT properties will continue to pay rent based on market rent or 25% of their income, whichever is the lesser amount.
(17) There is currently no requirement to undertake asbestos reports. Once Section 47 K of the legislation becomes effective Housing ACT, when it is engaging in a “high-risk activity in relation to asbestos”, will be required to find out whether there is asbestos at the premises if it does not already know. There are no figures available on the number of asbestos reports that would be required for high risk activities. Once Section 47L of the legislation becomes effective, Housing ACT will be required to obtain an asbestos inspection report for any property that it sells. In the 2003-04 financial year, Housing ACT sold 126 properties.
Environment and conservation—litter infringements
(Question No 294)
Mr Pratt asked the Minister for Urban Services, upon notice, on 10 March 2005:
(1) Regarding littering in general and being mindful of the tonnes of litter collected across the ACT during the latest Clean Up Australia campaign, how many (a) individuals, (b) businesses and (c) others have been issued warnings or been fined for littering in the ACT during (i) 2004-05 to date, (ii) 2003-04 and (iii) 2002-03;
(2) Who, besides Urban Services inspectors, can issue infringement notices for littering in the ACT;
(3) How many official inspectors, dedicated to watching out for littering in the ACT, are employed or rostered on, on a daily basis;
(4) If there are no inspectors specifically dedicated to this task, why not.
Mr Hargreaves: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
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