Page 2598 - Week 07 - Thursday, 18 June 2009
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Whilst we can all attest to the clean, clear Canberra air in comparison to other Australian cities, it has been assumed that we do have a winter particle pollution problem due to emissions from wood heaters used for home heating. But, as Mrs Dunne has said previously, recent data collected from the monitoring centre at Monash, which measures particulate matter, puts this assumption in perspective.
I have received representations from members of the community who are concerned about the usage of wood heaters and the potential for wood smoke pollution, particularly in the Tuggeranong Valley. However, I can say that these representations can be counted on one hand.
I do take notice of public opinion, however, and there have been some letters to the editor appearing in the Chronicle that followed on from a vox pop and a story on the issue. It can be said, using this one publication as an indicator, that public opinion is divided.
This topic has also been discussed in detail at meetings of the Tuggeranong Community Council. Ms Le Couteur read some of the minutes of a recent Tuggeranong Community Council meeting, but I think she left out a portion that I would like to read into this record. I read from the minutes of the Tuggeranong Community Council meeting of 7 May 2009:
Therefore the Tuggeranong Community Council calls on the ACT Government to take immediate and decisive action to rid Tuggeranong of winter domestic wood smoke pollution and protect the health of Valley residents through the following measures:
Ban the installation of the new slow combustion wood burning heaters by January 2010, followed by a total ban of all such heaters by January 2015.
The revised Motion was carried by the members unanimously. A further motion was presented … as follows:
The Tuggeranong Community Council supports plans for a new Southern Cemetery on the following conditions:
1. Any crematorium developed on the site does not impact on nearby residents and does not add to air pollution in the Tuggeranong Valley.
2. A cemetery and crematorium does not impact on current public use of nearby land.
3. Mugga Lane is upgraded to handle any increase in traffic generated by a new Southern Cemetery.
Anecdotal evidence would suggest that there are also a number of health issues, including asthma and other chronic lung conditions, that can be exacerbated by air quality. This was certainly one of the concerns relayed to me throughout the electorate during the election campaign when discussion turned to the proposed power station.
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