ID :
59647
Fri, 05/08/2009 - 16:20
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/59647
The shortlink copeid
Asbestos clean-up starts in NT community
An asbestos clean-up is underway at a remote Aboriginal community, more than a month
after it was claimed children had been using the cancer-causing material as chalk.
Intervention workers first raised concerns that there was widespread asbestos in
bush communities in May last year.
The federal government subsequently ordered a survey of the Northern Territory's 73
Aboriginal communities and found 62 of them had asbestos "in varying conditions".
Almost a year later, only three communities with "high-risk" asbestos have been
subject to a clean-up.
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin on Friday issued a statement
saying the Areyonga community southwest of Alice Springs would also join that list.
But it comes more than a month after reports became public that children from
Areyonga had been using the asbestos to make drawings on the ground.
"Because of our remoteness, you know, we can be ignored," resident Craig Woods said
at the time.
"If this situation happened in a main city like Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne, this
problem would have been dealt with within 24 hours.
"The government knows about this problem and yet they're not dealing with it."
Ms Macklin said the federal government had hired experts in April to "reassess"
whether the asbestos needed to be removed immediately.
"The government was advised that although it was important to remove the material as
soon as practical, left undisturbed it did not pose an immediate health risk," she
said in a joint statement with federal Labor MP for Lingiari Warren Snowdon.
The removal at Areyonga is expected to be finished by the end of May, with a local
government business manager tasked with ensuring the necessary precautions are taken
by the community while work is underway.
Debris will be removed from the community and buried at a licensed landfill facility.
"High-risk" asbestos removal has already been undertaken in Kalkarindji, Gunbalunya
and Galiwinku, while the government says it has been advised to clean up the other
59 communities with evidence of asbestos within the next 12 months.
"The government understands community concern about asbestos and associated health
risks," Ms Macklin said.
"Asbestos is the legacy of numerous building programs conducted in the NT over many
years."
after it was claimed children had been using the cancer-causing material as chalk.
Intervention workers first raised concerns that there was widespread asbestos in
bush communities in May last year.
The federal government subsequently ordered a survey of the Northern Territory's 73
Aboriginal communities and found 62 of them had asbestos "in varying conditions".
Almost a year later, only three communities with "high-risk" asbestos have been
subject to a clean-up.
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin on Friday issued a statement
saying the Areyonga community southwest of Alice Springs would also join that list.
But it comes more than a month after reports became public that children from
Areyonga had been using the asbestos to make drawings on the ground.
"Because of our remoteness, you know, we can be ignored," resident Craig Woods said
at the time.
"If this situation happened in a main city like Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne, this
problem would have been dealt with within 24 hours.
"The government knows about this problem and yet they're not dealing with it."
Ms Macklin said the federal government had hired experts in April to "reassess"
whether the asbestos needed to be removed immediately.
"The government was advised that although it was important to remove the material as
soon as practical, left undisturbed it did not pose an immediate health risk," she
said in a joint statement with federal Labor MP for Lingiari Warren Snowdon.
The removal at Areyonga is expected to be finished by the end of May, with a local
government business manager tasked with ensuring the necessary precautions are taken
by the community while work is underway.
Debris will be removed from the community and buried at a licensed landfill facility.
"High-risk" asbestos removal has already been undertaken in Kalkarindji, Gunbalunya
and Galiwinku, while the government says it has been advised to clean up the other
59 communities with evidence of asbestos within the next 12 months.
"The government understands community concern about asbestos and associated health
risks," Ms Macklin said.
"Asbestos is the legacy of numerous building programs conducted in the NT over many
years."
