Labor has no idea on school asbestos
Thursday, 02 September 2010 12:01
Dr Bruce Flegg MPShadow Minister for Education and TrainingMember for Moggill2 September 2010
Labor has no idea on school asbestos
Bligh and Labor had failed to enforce national guidelines for handling and removing asbestos from Queensland schools, the LNP said today.
Shadow Minister for Education & Training Dr Bruce Flegg said the rate at which asbestos was now being ‘discovered’ in Queensland schools proved the long-term Bligh Labor had not taken the problem seriously.
“This government has been made aware for a long time that school buildings of a certain age pose a potential asbestos risk,” Dr Flegg said.
“Despite that they have been slow to act to identify asbestos containing materials and to quarantine or remove them without delay.
“Every day unidentified asbestos material remains in schools poses an unacceptable risk to the future health and wellbeing of Queensland schoolchildren and that risk, no matter how small some people think it might be, is totally unacceptable.
Dr Flegg said the greatest risk was from friable asbestos, material from which asbestos fibres could be easily dislodged.
“Small particles of friable asbestos can be released into the atmosphere by simply being knocked or rubbed,” he said. “Once they are floating around they are easily ingested into the lungs with potential long-term harmful outcomes.
“The LNP is calling on Minister Wilson to take immediate steps to identify all friable asbestos in Queensland schools and to mark it as a potential hazard until it can be removed.
“Only then can parents have confidence that the welfare of their children is the paramount concern of this tired and lazy Bligh Labor government.”