❓ Dr. Jacobs asks for an update on the Esperance lead clean-up audit. Minister Buswell provides an update, highlighting the government's actions and criticising the previous government's response.
AnsweredQoN 426Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ESPERANCE —
LEAD CLEAN-UP — AUDIT
426. Dr G.G. JACOBS to the Minister for Transport:
I understand that the independent GHD audit into the
Esperance lead clean-up is complete. Could the minister please provide an
update to the house on the status of this audit and recap actions that this
government took to protect the Esperance community?
LEAD CLEAN-UP — AUDIT
426. Dr G.G. JACOBS to the Minister for Transport:
I understand that the independent GHD audit into the
Esperance lead clean-up is complete. Could the minister please provide an
update to the house on the status of this audit and recap actions that this
government took to protect the Esperance community?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Eyre for his interest in this issue.
As those members who were in the house under the previous government would
know, he was a passionate advocate for his community to get a decent outcome
delivered in Esperance. Thankfully, there was a change of government in 2008
and, thankfully, we have delivered that outcome to the people of Esperance. As
the member pointed out, the Esperance lead clean-up has reached its final and
most significant milestone.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
beg your pardon, member for Kwinana?
Mr R.H. Cook : I'm
talking to him.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
The member's predecessor as the Minister for Health dug a hole in the
sand and stuck his head in it when people were getting poisoned by lead in
Esperance and when birds were falling out of the sky. The Labor Party has
absolutely no credibility as a political party when it comes to issues around
Esperance. We embarked on a three-year program that has cleaned 1 775 homes.
Mr R.H. Cook : How's
that hospital going, member for Eyre?
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
At $25.7 million, it is the single biggest environmental clean-up in Western
Australia. The clean-up was finalised in March. GHD conducted an independent
audit. The good news for the people of Esperance is that GHD found that the
project was robust and technically justifiable and resulted in a comprehensive
clean-up of Esperance.
I will give those new members in the house a quick overview
of the history of this project. In early March 2007 birds were literally
dropping out of the sky in Esperance. A month later in this place then Premier
Carpenter got up and said, ''Don't worry, Western Australia; don't
worry, people of Esperance, Hon Alannah MacTiernan will fix the problem.''
In September, six months later, again in this house, under increasing pressure
to have a parliamentary inquiry and get to the bottom of it, the then Minister
for Planning and Infrastructure provided the board members of the Esperance
port authority with a 50 per cent pay increase when activities around the port
had polluted the town. She came to Parliament and said, ''Don't
worry about it again; I've told the port authority to clean up the
mess.'' In February 2008, as the member would recall, a University of
Western Australia report showed that rainwater tanks in Esperance were still
being contaminated, almost a year after those birds fell out of the sky. Did
the people of Esperance take comfort from that? No. Did they take comfort from
the comments of the government at the time? No. Perhaps the reason they did not
take comfort from that is best encapsulated by this comment from the then
Minister for Environment, the member for Mandurah, who said, according to my
notes —
It is not true to say that we have
done nothing. That is absolutely wrong. The fact is that when these issues were
raised and first concerns were raised in regards to Esperance, we initiated an
independent consultant to look at auditing the department's
responsibilities with regard to the issue.
The people of Esperance would have been out cheering in the
streets to know that when the member for Mandurah was the minister, he got an
independent consultant to audit the activities of the department when birds
were falling out of the sky. Members should compare that with what we have
done. A total of $25.7 million has been spent by this government.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, if you want to contribute to this, I suggest you get to
your feet and ask a question at some point. I formally call you to order for
the first time today.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the second time today.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
am just wrapping up. A total of $25.7 million was spent by this government
cleaning up Esperance. What did it deliver? A total of 120 000 samples were
taken and analysed to help drive the clean-up effort, 433 buildings had their
roof spaces cleaned, 1 144 buildings had roof services, gutters, downpipes and
rainwater tanks cleaned and 1 648 premises had external and internal services
and carpets cleaned. The GHD audit has given this program a green light. It is
a great tick in the box for the people of Esperance because they needed to have
confidence restored in their health and the health of the environment in which
they live.
There is only one outstanding matter. Two years ago in
December 2010 some monitoring programs were put in place. They will conclude in
December of this year and they will make absolutely sure that there has been no
reoccurrence of contamination. This is a great example, by way of comparison,
of how this government has tackled issues while the Labor Party when in
government dug holes and stuck its head in the sand and did nothing.
As those members who were in the house under the previous government would
know, he was a passionate advocate for his community to get a decent outcome
delivered in Esperance. Thankfully, there was a change of government in 2008
and, thankfully, we have delivered that outcome to the people of Esperance. As
the member pointed out, the Esperance lead clean-up has reached its final and
most significant milestone.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
beg your pardon, member for Kwinana?
Mr R.H. Cook : I'm
talking to him.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
The member's predecessor as the Minister for Health dug a hole in the
sand and stuck his head in it when people were getting poisoned by lead in
Esperance and when birds were falling out of the sky. The Labor Party has
absolutely no credibility as a political party when it comes to issues around
Esperance. We embarked on a three-year program that has cleaned 1 775 homes.
Mr R.H. Cook : How's
that hospital going, member for Eyre?
The SPEAKER :
Member for Kwinana, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
At $25.7 million, it is the single biggest environmental clean-up in Western
Australia. The clean-up was finalised in March. GHD conducted an independent
audit. The good news for the people of Esperance is that GHD found that the
project was robust and technically justifiable and resulted in a comprehensive
clean-up of Esperance.
I will give those new members in the house a quick overview
of the history of this project. In early March 2007 birds were literally
dropping out of the sky in Esperance. A month later in this place then Premier
Carpenter got up and said, ''Don't worry, Western Australia; don't
worry, people of Esperance, Hon Alannah MacTiernan will fix the problem.''
In September, six months later, again in this house, under increasing pressure
to have a parliamentary inquiry and get to the bottom of it, the then Minister
for Planning and Infrastructure provided the board members of the Esperance
port authority with a 50 per cent pay increase when activities around the port
had polluted the town. She came to Parliament and said, ''Don't
worry about it again; I've told the port authority to clean up the
mess.'' In February 2008, as the member would recall, a University of
Western Australia report showed that rainwater tanks in Esperance were still
being contaminated, almost a year after those birds fell out of the sky. Did
the people of Esperance take comfort from that? No. Did they take comfort from
the comments of the government at the time? No. Perhaps the reason they did not
take comfort from that is best encapsulated by this comment from the then
Minister for Environment, the member for Mandurah, who said, according to my
notes —
It is not true to say that we have
done nothing. That is absolutely wrong. The fact is that when these issues were
raised and first concerns were raised in regards to Esperance, we initiated an
independent consultant to look at auditing the department's
responsibilities with regard to the issue.
The people of Esperance would have been out cheering in the
streets to know that when the member for Mandurah was the minister, he got an
independent consultant to audit the activities of the department when birds
were falling out of the sky. Members should compare that with what we have
done. A total of $25.7 million has been spent by this government.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, if you want to contribute to this, I suggest you get to
your feet and ask a question at some point. I formally call you to order for
the first time today.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the second time today.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
am just wrapping up. A total of $25.7 million was spent by this government
cleaning up Esperance. What did it deliver? A total of 120 000 samples were
taken and analysed to help drive the clean-up effort, 433 buildings had their
roof spaces cleaned, 1 144 buildings had roof services, gutters, downpipes and
rainwater tanks cleaned and 1 648 premises had external and internal services
and carpets cleaned. The GHD audit has given this program a green light. It is
a great tick in the box for the people of Esperance because they needed to have
confidence restored in their health and the health of the environment in which
they live.
There is only one outstanding matter. Two years ago in
December 2010 some monitoring programs were put in place. They will conclude in
December of this year and they will make absolutely sure that there has been no
reoccurrence of contamination. This is a great example, by way of comparison,
of how this government has tackled issues while the Labor Party when in
government dug holes and stuck its head in the sand and did nothing.
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