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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-24 Daily Xml
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ASBESTOS REMOVAL

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking Shirley Temple a question relating to asbestos removal in private residences.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: This week is Asbestos Awareness Week and a chance to reflect on the catastrophic impact that asbestos has had across Australia and the world. In particular, it is a chance to remember the ongoing impact of the third wave of asbestos exposure. The first wave included manufacturers and workers in asbestos product industries; the second, in construction using asbestos products; and now in the third wave homeowners and persons having to deal with the removal of asbestos are experiencing the tragic legacy of generations past as they encounter this debilitating and deadly product.

Many properties built across Australia prior to the mid-1980s, including in South Australia, contain asbestos products. Research from New South Wales suggests that up to one in three homes in that state contains asbestos. There is no reason to think that similar levels of asbestos would not be prevalent across South Australia. An ongoing risk to safety exists for renovators and builders working on older private residences. That includes the owners themselves, in other words, people not involved in businesses. Do-it-yourself renovators face significant risks. SafeWork SA spokesperson, Mr Bryan Russell, was quoted by the ABC earlier this week as saying:

We continue to be concerned as we see the death rate from mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease increasing. It is a concern for all of us in South Australia.

My questions are:

1. What is the government doing to reduce the risk of asbestos exposure to home renovators undertaking work on private homes?

2. What obligations are there on private homeowners to be aware of and allow for asbestos that exists in their home?

3. Is the government considering expanding the National Code of Practice for the Management and Control of Asbestos to include provisions for asbestos in private residences in South Australia, including the testing and air monitoring of properties containing asbestos?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:33): I thank the member for what is a very important question. As we have come to realise in recent times, do-it-yourself renovators are being subjected to more and more cases of asbestos disease. It is a concern of the government. As for what SafeWork is doing, as you are aware, it is Asbestos Awareness Week. We fund a number of asbestos victims' associations, whose job it is to go out there and educate various organisations of the people of South Australia on asbestos. SafeWork SA itself has developed literature in regard to working on do-it-yourself renovations.

There is an issue here, but because this issue has just arisen, strategies are being developed with the SafeWork Advisory Committee. This will take a bit of time to actually get the various strategies together, but we are very aware of the fact and the need to develop the appropriate literature, training and advice to people who want to undertake do-it-yourself renovations. What I will do is find out exactly what sort of literature—I will get a copy of all the literature—we are developing and have developed, and forward it to the honourable member opposite.

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