The Territory’s Asbestos Response Taskforce is to formally close at the end of the month (30 June) with a smaller coordination team set to take over the management of the remaining impacted properties.
Announced by Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction, Rebecca Vassarotti, the Taskforce was established in June 2014 and has overseen the remediation and removal of over 1,000 properties affected by loose fill asbestos insulation.
“With the majority of known affected properties remediated, the work required now is different to that when the Taskforce first began,” Ms Vassarotti said.
“A smaller team will continue to provide the same high-level service the Taskforce has given the community for the past eight years,” she said.
“The team will continue to focus on supporting homeowners who remain in affected homes, delivering key legacy projects, and ongoing remediation works so we can continue to eradicate loose fill asbestos from the Canberra community.”
Ms Vassarotti said the new coordination team would be responsible for administering the Territory’s ongoing buyback scheme while providing continuity of existing service delivery standards.
The Minister assured Canberrans that newly identified owners whose properties were impacted by loose fill asbestos would not be disadvantaged, but would be supported with the same options and assistance available as those whose properties were identified earlier in the Scheme.
“While the Taskforce will not continue past 30 June 2022, I want to assure the Canberra community that support is still available, and people should not hesitate in reporting any suspicious substances in their home,” she said.
“I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank all the current and past members of the Asbestos Response Taskforce and the Community and Expert Reference Group for their efforts in supporting the Canberra community and particularly affected homeowners since its inception in 2014.”
