Page 1932 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 August 2014
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It is worth noting that there is no specific research available that addresses the health impacts of loose-fill asbestos insulation in homes on the health of residents. This is why ACT Health is looking into ACT-specific data to try and understand more about the links between affected homes and asbestos-related disease with the intention that this will flow into a formal academic study.
In addition, the task force, in conjunction with ACT Health, has also responded to requests from the community for an opportunity to discuss health issues relating to asbestos and have recently completed two health information forums, one on the south side and last Sunday on the north side of the city. These forums, each attended by hundreds of Canberrans, have included presentations from the ACT Chief Health Officer, respiratory, paediatric and mental health experts and the head of the task force.
My discussions with a number of affected families and individuals have demonstrated just how unique each person’s story is. There is no single answer or simple response that will suit everyone’s particular circumstance. One issue that has been raised with me as a significant concern for families, though, is ways to support children during uncertain and changing circumstances such as this. We know that children, like adults, will experience a range of emotions and behaviours and that they can tune very quickly into parental distress and worry.
To support the children in affected households, the task force and ACT Health have been working closely with the Education and Training Directorate to ensure that all schools are aware of what is going on and make sure that access to school counsellors is made available if appropriate.
The government is committed to providing long-term support to families whose homes are affected by loose-fill asbestos insulation. As an extension of this commitment, the community and expert reference group is being formed. This follows the valuable contribution an equivalent group made to the work of the bushfire task force in 2003. We will be announcing the appointments of the chair person and the membership of the community and expert reference group very shortly. This group will provide advocacy on behalf of the community to the task force. It will include representatives of home owners and tenants, technical experts, and relevant industry and union groups.
Members will also be aware that Senator Eric Abetz has been delegated by the Prime Minister to lead the commonwealth government’s response to the enduring threat posed by the presence of loose-fill asbestos insulation in Canberra homes. The discussions with Senator Abetz to date have been very constructive, and I have been given a commitment that the federal government will work with the ACT government to respond to the issue of Mr Fluffy within the ACT community.
I am pleased to inform the Assembly today that since the initial meeting there have been a number of official level meetings which have also been positive. The asbestos response task force has received significant assistance from commonwealth agencies in preparing technical advice on the long-term management of affected homes, and I am particularly pleased that Safe Work Australia has agreed to second a senior official to the task force to support this work.
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