❓ Minister MacTiernan addresses the house regarding her visit to Esperance to address lead contamination, outlining actions taken including testing, halting lead shipments, and plans for remediation and further investigation.
AnsweredQoN 149Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ESPERANCE LEAD POLLUTION
Can the minister please tell the house about her visit to Esperance yesterday and what further actions the government will take to address the issue of lead contamination at Esperance? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN
Can the minister please tell the house about her visit to Esperance yesterday and what further actions the government will take to address the issue of lead contamination at Esperance? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I know there is great interest in this house in this very important issue in Esperance. The Premier asked me to visit Esperance yesterday to make sure that it was very clear to the community that we took this matter very seriously and, indeed, to ensure that there was proper coordination across the range of government agencies that have a responsibility in this regard. An enormous amount of work has been done since it was first discovered that lead was implicated in the deaths of many birds around Esperance. Around 879 blood tests, 870 tests of rainwater tanks and more than 300 soil and dust samples have been taken to provide the basic data. Of course, within two days of finding that result, we stopped all lead shipments from the port and indicated that there would not be any further shipments from the port outside containerised, bagged or pelletised lead. It is very clear that we reacted very quickly. We needed to ensure that community that this matter was being taken very seriously at the highest level. We have indicated to the member for Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member for the question. I know there is great interest in this house in this very important issue in Esperance. The Premier asked me to visit Esperance yesterday to make sure that it was very clear to the community that we took this matter very seriously and, indeed, to ensure that there was proper coordination across the range of government agencies that have a responsibility in this regard. An enormous amount of work has been done since it was first discovered that lead was implicated in the deaths of many birds around Esperance. Around 879 blood tests, 870 tests of rainwater tanks and more than 300 soil and dust samples have been taken to provide the basic data. Of course, within two days of finding that result, we stopped all lead shipments from the port and indicated that there would not be any further shipments from the port outside containerised, bagged or pelletised lead. It is very clear that we reacted very quickly. We needed to ensure that community that this matter was being taken very seriously at the highest level. We have indicated to the member for Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
I thank the member for the question. I know there is great interest in this house in this very important issue in Esperance. The Premier asked me to visit Esperance yesterday to make sure that it was very clear to the community that we took this matter very seriously and, indeed, to ensure that there was proper coordination across the range of government agencies that have a responsibility in this regard. An enormous amount of work has been done since it was first discovered that lead was implicated in the deaths of many birds around Esperance. Around 879 blood tests, 870 tests of rainwater tanks and more than 300 soil and dust samples have been taken to provide the basic data. Of course, within two days of finding that result, we stopped all lead shipments from the port and indicated that there would not be any further shipments from the port outside containerised, bagged or pelletised lead. It is very clear that we reacted very quickly. We needed to ensure that community that this matter was being taken very seriously at the highest level. We have indicated to the member for Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Of course, within two days of finding that result, we stopped all lead shipments from the port and indicated that there would not be any further shipments from the port outside containerised, bagged or pelletised lead. It is very clear that we reacted very quickly. We needed to ensure that community that this matter was being taken very seriously at the highest level. We have indicated to the member for Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member for the question. I know there is great interest in this house in this very important issue in Esperance. The Premier asked me to visit Esperance yesterday to make sure that it was very clear to the community that we took this matter very seriously and, indeed, to ensure that there was proper coordination across the range of government agencies that have a responsibility in this regard. An enormous amount of work has been done since it was first discovered that lead was implicated in the deaths of many birds around Esperance. Around 879 blood tests, 870 tests of rainwater tanks and more than 300 soil and dust samples have been taken to provide the basic data. Of course, within two days of finding that result, we stopped all lead shipments from the port and indicated that there would not be any further shipments from the port outside containerised, bagged or pelletised lead. It is very clear that we reacted very quickly. We needed to ensure that community that this matter was being taken very seriously at the highest level. We have indicated to the member for Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
I thank the member for the question. I know there is great interest in this house in this very important issue in Esperance. The Premier asked me to visit Esperance yesterday to make sure that it was very clear to the community that we took this matter very seriously and, indeed, to ensure that there was proper coordination across the range of government agencies that have a responsibility in this regard. An enormous amount of work has been done since it was first discovered that lead was implicated in the deaths of many birds around Esperance. Around 879 blood tests, 870 tests of rainwater tanks and more than 300 soil and dust samples have been taken to provide the basic data. Of course, within two days of finding that result, we stopped all lead shipments from the port and indicated that there would not be any further shipments from the port outside containerised, bagged or pelletised lead. It is very clear that we reacted very quickly. We needed to ensure that community that this matter was being taken very seriously at the highest level. We have indicated to the member for Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Of course, within two days of finding that result, we stopped all lead shipments from the port and indicated that there would not be any further shipments from the port outside containerised, bagged or pelletised lead. It is very clear that we reacted very quickly. We needed to ensure that community that this matter was being taken very seriously at the highest level. We have indicated to the member for Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Dr G.G. Jacobs : The member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Sorry; the member for Roe. Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Dr G.G. Jacobs : I would have appreciated going along with you yesterday, minister. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : We have indicated to the member for Roe, who has spent a great deal of time, as one would expect, in Esperance - Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Dr G.G. Jacobs : I live there. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Obviously; that is right. I am not quite sure why we needed to bump off one of the health professionals to put the member on the plane, quite frankly. Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Several members interjected. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was only a seven-seater. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
The SPEAKER : Order! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It was very important for us to go down to Esperance and talk to all our agencies. As I said, we indicated to the member for Roe that we supported the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to investigate this matter. We want maximum transparency on the whole of its history. My job yesterday was also to assure the community that we will now deal with remediation and the future. Already a number of hot spots have been identified through DEC testing, and we are giving priority to clearing them. The Department of Health will undertake a detailed assessment of the circumstances of all individuals with elevated lead blood levels so that we can be very clear how their contamination pathway occurred. We will offer to clean out all the water tanks in which lead levels above the recommended guidelines for drinking water have been found. We have the facilities available at the port to do that. In three months we will test all the people who have elevated lead blood levels, and thereafter we will determine a long-term testing regime. Under the supervision of the Department of Health, we will undertake a detailed risk assessment, and that will provide a comprehensive sampling regime, a pathway analysis of contamination, and determination of what further remedial action is required. We have also undertaken to the workers at the port, along with all the people with elevated lead blood levels, that they will have access to the best possible medical specialists in this regard.
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