Page 1111 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 May 2020
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assist in managing and remediating the remaining privately owned properties affected by loose-fill asbestos insulation. From the late 1960s through the 70s, loose asbestos fibres, known as Mr Fluffy, were pumped into the ceilings of 1,049-plus properties around Canberra. It has been a long and hard road for the families and individuals who owned and resided in these homes. They have carried the devastation and the legacy of Mr Fluffy to this day. The worry about the health and financial impacts and the sense of loss that surrounds the saga still weighs heavily on many in our community.
There is a chequered history relating to the handling of this issue by previous ACT governments, as well as the role that the commonwealth played during the remediation. Many Mr Fluffy home owners in the ACT will always remember the fight for a fair and flexible resolution. Many families are still searching for answers that will only ever be resolved when all decisions are reviewed in a public forum.
The initiatives today are some practical measures that will help get us towards a resolution of remediating and removing these properties from our community. Since 2014, when the commonwealth government stepped in with a $1 billion loan to fund the loose-fill insulation eradication scheme, 96 per cent of Mr Fluffy properties have been demolished and remediated. The remaining property owners need some surety, regardless of the future, that these properties will be cared for and maintained safely, and this bill takes some steps to addressing that.
The bill introduces, among other provisions, a requirement for certain information to be included on an affected premises register to show whether a property requires an asbestos management plan, as well as appropriate parameters to prevent development approval being granted on those properties in the future unless the development includes the demolition of the affected structures and a plan for remediation.
The bill restricts building works on affected premises and ensures that residential tenancy agreements, occupancy agreements, assignment or sublet for any property on the register is void if entered into on or after 1 July 2020. This is a prudent step to ensure that no new residents are affected by or exposed to Mr Fluffy fibres unnecessarily.
Importantly, consideration has been given to the financial impacts on home owners of abiding by the provisions in this bill. While in normal circumstances the steps outlined in this bill would be unreasonable, in the opposition’s opinion, and would significantly undermine the property rights of the home owner, given the health risks associated with loose-fill asbestos, the significant buyback scheme that has occurred and the steps that have taken place to ensure safety in our community, the opposition will continue to support the right for home owners of Fluffy properties and residents of Fluffy properties to determine under their own course whether surrender is the right option for them at this time. However, we also consider the steps in this bill as a reasonable measure of maintaining community safety and another step towards ensuring that these properties are once and for all remediated, eliminating the community risk.
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