Page 1011 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 24 March 2015
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While I have updated members at length on the support being provided to home owners and the buyback scheme updates, I would like to take a moment this morning to touch on the considerable policy development that the task force has undertaken in the short time it has been in operation, and to foreshadow some key policy decisions and activity in the next few months.
Work to date has included the passage and enactment of the national model asbestos management laws through the Work Health and Safety Act. This ensures the territory retains its best practice asbestos management regime generally and is able to effectively utilise the national workforce to deliver the scheme.
We have seen the enactment of various laws and regulation amendments to enable the implementation of the buyback scheme, such as: the Tax Administration Amendment Regulation 2014, which allowed the Commissioner for Revenue to provide the personal information of ratepayers to the task force to enable it to write personally to owners of affected homes; the Information Privacy Regulation 2014, which allowed provision of advice as to whether a home is affected by loose-fill asbestos insulation to tenants, former owners and tradespeople who may have worked on a home; the Work Health and Safety Amendment Regulation 2014, which introduced the mandatory notification to WorkSafe of demolition and asbestos removal in Mr Fluffy homes; the Dangerous Substances Amendment Regulation 2014, which allowed for the mandatory tagging of affected homes; and an instrument under the Taxation Administration Act to give effect to stamp duty concessions through the program.
In addition, the bill passed in the Assembly last week provides practical support for affected home owners as well as administrative and regulatory amendments to enable the continued rollout of the buyback and demolition program.
The Dangerous Substances (Loose-fill Asbestos Eradication) Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 allows eligible home owners with solar panel arrays which were part of the ACT government’s legislated feed-in tariff scheme to transfer tariff arrangements when moving to a new home. This means these householders will not be disadvantaged through having to leave their generator on the premises upon surrendering these premises to the territory. They will be able to retain their 20-year contracts for the premium feed-in rate if they have a generator affixed to their new property.
This is an issue which affects a small number of home owners, but it is one that is very important to those owners and we are pleased to be able to provide this additional support during what is a difficult time.
The bill also provided for a register of affected residential premises to be published. To date the ACT government has respected the wishes of home owners for privacy and has not released a list of affected addresses. Instead, search functions have been established for former tenants, home owners and tradespeople through the Environment and Planning Directorate. Tagging of an affected property’s meter box and switchboard as well as mandatory disclosure has assisted in advising tradespeople of the status of a property.
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