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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-05-16 Daily Xml
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ASBESTOS, SCHOOL

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:16): Thank you, sir. Does the Minister for Education and Child Development stand by her statement to parliament yesterday that 'every site that is registered as having asbestos present is inspected annually'?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:16): The government takes the management of asbestos very, very seriously. There are a suite of protocols across government that ensure asbestos removal and/or management is done in an appropriate manner. Premier and Cabinet Circular 013 mandates agencies to report annually on their government-owned assets, including any residential sites.

In fact, this government is so keen to keep that 'hidden' that my department (Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure), coordinates the across-government Asbestos Risk Reduction Report on an annual basis. That report is so 'secret' that it was tabled in parliament on 29 November 2012. The report provides an overview of actions taken by government to address the management of asbestos in its buildings and other structures—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Why don't you ask, if you're so concerned?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Why don't you get up and ask the question then?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Then don't interject!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the Minister for Transport to order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: In 2011-12, sir—

Mr PISONI: Point of order, Mr Speaker: my question—

The SPEAKER: It had better be a point of order.

Mr PISONI: My question was whether the Minister for Education and Child Development stood by the comments she made in the parliament yesterday, and the Minister for Transport is answering the question—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

Mr PISONI: No, no, no; that was my question!

The SPEAKER: That, as the member for Unley well knows, is an entirely bogus point of order, because it is the practice of centuries in English-speaking parliaments that any minister can answer any question, so I call him to order. Minister for Infrastructure.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Thank you, sir. The 2011-12 report is the eighth such report that indicates that 78 per cent of sites are asbestos-free or have asbestos-containing materials that do not pose an immediate exposure risk and can be scheduled for removal at suitable times in conjunction with other building work. Less than 1 per cent of sites have asbestos-containing materials that are recommended for immediate removal. The results are consistent with previous reports and demonstrate the progress with asbestos removal. I recommend the report to the member for Unley.

Mr MARSHALL: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Yes?

Mr MARSHALL: Relevance.

The SPEAKER: Well, I will listen very carefully to what the minister—

Members interjecting:

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