Page 1931 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 August 2014
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I take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding work of all members of the task force. There have been many late nights and weekends worked in order to get the information and financial support flowing to those affected. The task force is the front line in our response, and they have responded with absolute commitment and professionalism to the needs and hardship of those affected by Mr Fluffy asbestos.
These statistics give members an idea of the assistance being provided by the task force and are current as of last Friday, 1 August 2014: 1,800 people have registered with the task force, more than 400 homes have been assessed, 27 families have been displaced, approximately 80 assistance payment have been made to a total value of $140,000 dollars but many, many more are in train, and 850 registered post receipts have been returned and the task force is now working to reach the remaining owners who have not yet registered.
In addition to the practical support and advice the task force is providing affected families, the ACT government has agreed to the emergency support package for those who were forced to leave their homes following advice from the asbestos assessor. The emergency support package is a grant of up to $10,000 per household for those people advised by an asbestos assessor to leave their home. The package cap is increased by $2,000 for each dependent child residing in the home.
The purpose of these funds is to cover the cost of emergency accommodation and other necessities such as food and clothing, as well as immediate remediation work. Assistance payments are already flowing—I just updated the Assembly with the value of $140,000 dollars so far—but with much more expected. I really hope this assistance is providing these families with financial support during this period of financial hardship.
For those people who have left their homes on the advice of an assessor, the ACT government is also deferring rates for the period of time the owners have to vacate. For householders still residing in the houses but who, following the advice of an asbestos assessment, have been required to destroy contaminated items such as clothes and soft furnishings, $1,000 dollars is available.
In addition to the practical impacts on affected families, the government is very conscious of the health impacts, both physical and emotional. While many people may adapt to this initial emotional distress and manage it with the support of family and friends, there are times when extra help and support is needed. That is why the task force has been working closely with the Chief Health Officer, the ACT Medicare Local, and ACT Health to ensure that people are provided with up-to-date information about health risks and how to access appropriate support services.
Members will be aware that as part of our initial response I announced a partnership between the ACT government and the Medicare Local to ensure that there are no out-of-pocket expenses for affected families accessing psychological and emotional support. This support includes access to the new access program to offer support from trained coaches for those experiencing mild anxiety or depression and access to the healthy mind program through family doctors, with any gap fee for the GP visit reimbursed to those registered with the task force.
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