Page 5594 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 9 December 2009
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MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Gaming and Racing) (5.20): I would like to thank Ms Hunter for bringing forward this important motion today because safety in our schools and the health and wellbeing of our students must surely be of top priority.
All of our schools seek to minimise the use of harsh chemicals in the school environment. Our policies require that products and materials should cause no danger to the health of users or of others. I am happy to report to the Assembly this afternoon that contractors undertaking cleaning, school refurbishments and school upgrades are required, wherever practical, to use products that contain no hazardous ingredients, do not need to be disposed of as hazardous waste, have a pH value close to neutral, do not ignite easily, have low levels of volatile organic compound, are biodegradable, have a phosphate content not above 0.5 per cent, contain no fragrances or dyes, require minimal packaging and are recyclable.
More specifically, the Department of Education and Training’s building guidelines also require that materials used are “not to cause any danger to the health of the users either during construction or through the life of the facility”. Under the guidelines, water-based paints and stains are to be preferred and synthetic products used only exceptionally. Use of paint is minimised on external surfaces or components of school buildings. New schools use materials that do not need painting. The department’s building guidelines also specify the use of low volatile organic compound carpets.
Importantly, strict conditions apply to the use of what are known as agvet chemicals. These are chemicals which are used for grounds maintenance and pest control, such as weedkiller and pesticides. For example, their use must be approved by the department and will be only permitted outside of school hours. For all new and existing schools we endeavour to minimise health impacts and we will look to international best practice models to further minimise impacts.
We aim to set—excuse the pun—the bar high with our new schools. For all new public schools being built, a five green star rating is being sought. A five green star rating requires fittings and materials with low volatile organic compound emissions. This includes paint, glues, sealants, carpet and furniture coverings. To meet green star rating requirements, procurement documentation specifies the type of products to be used. All procurement documentation for construction of new schools is reviewed by green star consultants.
Ms Hunter’s motion this afternoon looks to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s environmentally preferable purchasing guidelines. The EPA’s online guidance documents on environmentally preferable purchasing list principles such as pollution, the life cycle of the product and its packaging, and the importance of protecting human health. The requirements I have mentioned earlier for ACT education and training department construction reflect many of these principles. However, I am happy to consider whether current chemical use requirements in schools accords with international best practice models. We can undertake this as part of a review of the statement of requirements of school cleaning contracts, which is currently underway.
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