WHYALLA DUST EXCEEDENCES

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK (14:53): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations, representing the Minister for Health, a question about Whyalla PM10 dust exceedences.

Leave granted.

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK: In 2005, the state government amended the Whyalla Steelworks Indenture Act to ensure that the EPA standards for dust exceedences from the OneSteel Whyalla Steelworks could be sidestepped by that industry. We were assured by the government that once Project Magnet came online the dust problem would be resolved. Project Magnet is now up and operating, but PM10 dust exceedences continue. The dust is now black, rather than red, but it is (I have to say) in reduced amounts compared to what the red dust used to be.

The public is being reassured that a new beast called a community dust target has shown only three exceedences this year. This is a contrivance arrived at by subtracting the background of naturally occurring PM10 particles from the total dust load recorded. I am not sure who determines what the naturally occurring reading is. Comparing apples with apples, using the unadulterated figures, there were 12 exceedences up to this time last year, compared to 14 (and it may be 15) for the same period this year. Remember, these are pre and post Magnet figures.

The EPA's CCTV monitors were removed from the OneSteel boundary fence on 16 October. In the past six to eight weeks Whyalla City Council has been responsible for dust creation with its new industrial park. Two of the past three community dust target exceedences have been exacerbated by this activity. Three years ago the current health minister, speaking then as the environment and conservation minister, said, in relation to alleviating pollution in Adelaide:

Particulate pollution has been linked to a number of health problems and PM10, very fine matter in the air which is inhaled, is now considered one of the worst kinds of air pollutants. Elevated levels of PM10 have been linked to respiratory diseases, including bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema and, alarmingly, there is also a link to cancer.

My questions to the minister are:

1. Does it still remain his view that PM10 dust particles have negative health consequences?

2. Did the minister or his department provide any input into the science of the community dust target? If so, will the minister provide a copy of that advice?

3. Is he aware that, without any manipulation of figures, there has been no reduction in the number of PM10 exceedences thus far in 2008?

4. Does the minister receive regular reports about particulate pollution in Whyalla, and was the minister or his department consulted over the recent removal of CCTV monitors?

5. Does the minister plan to advise Whyalla residents that their health status is still at risk from PM10 exceedences, regardless of the source of the dust?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (14:57): I thank the honourable member for her questions. In my former role as minister for environment I was aware that OneSteel had invested tens of millions of dollars in trying to address the dust issues at Whyalla and in and around that industrial site and developed a wide number of strategies to try to improve that situation. I am happy to refer that series of questions to the health minister in another place and bring back a response.