Wednesday, 17 August 2022

Benambra electorate asbestos contamination

Mr TILLEY (Benambra) (19:15): (6494) I wish to raise a matter for the attention of the Premier, and the action I seek is the provision of advice to support constituents to have asbestos, in particular crocidolite and chrysotile, removed from their residence. Danielle Poser and John Humphrey purchased a home in Wodonga in September 2020. They did all the checks, building inspections, all of the things to protect them et cetera, but about a year later they rented the property out. In May 2022 this year the tenants had an issue with a flickering light. An electrician was called and discovered asbestos insulation. Tests revealed not only that it was asbestos but a particularly toxic brand technically known as crocidolite and chrysotile, colloquially known as Mr Fluffy.

Mr Fluffy operated out of the ACT in the 1980s and was installed in over 1000 houses in the territory and more than 500 houses in New South Wales. The asbestos is so toxic it has been deemed a community health hazard by the ACT and New South Wales governments. Schemes are in place to demolish affected houses, some requiring plastic domes over the worksite, and to provide financial assistance to home owners. Victoria does not have a scheme similar to the ACT or South Wales. In fact it has no assistance to home owners. The EPA says five homes have now been identified in our state, but I fear many more undetected, particularly on the border.

Danielle and John have now gone on a government roller-coaster, handballed from one to another—all care and no responsibility. WorkSafe Victoria says the house was not a place of work so have limited to no assistance available. The EPA said it was a local council issue. The Wodonga council closed the file as they do not oversee asbestos removal from private dwellings. Now, the couple have had more extensive assessments done, and there is no good news in this.

The results have come back positive to crocidolite, chrysotile and amosite in the bedrooms, cupboards and flooring. It means there is no option to remove the asbestos in the ceiling, seal up the roof cavity and make the house habitable again. They have been told the asbestos is highly likely to have spread throughout the building, including carpets, floorboards, window frames, curtains and furniture. Demolition is the only option. This is a huge, immediate and ongoing financial burden and clearly not covered by insurance. As I said earlier, my fear is that this is not only limited to one home in Wodonga but there may well be some more.