Reports on council’s asbestos management should be publicly released immediately, according to Greens councillor Kerry Brown.
Cr Brown warned that council’s failure to release the reports five months after voting for an open investigation into asbestos management was a “betrayal of the workers” and could lead to further action from the minister.
“The first reason that the report, including the interim findings, should be released is to honour our commitment to council workers who came forward in the expectation that their voices would finally be heard through these investigations.
“At the moment, all we are hearing are the voices of councillors talking about themselves,” she said.
“Some, including the mayor, are claiming councillors have been cleared. Cleared of what? By whom? The councillors haven’t been investigated so how can we have been cleared?
“If we are investigated it will be under the Local Government Act which outlines our role as members of the governing body who are responsible for decisions and our ommissions.”
The investigation by work health and safety lawyer Michael Tooma looked into allegations from council staff of unsigned, unsealed asbestos at council’s public properties and work sites and of asbestos being handled by unprotected, untrained workers.
The investigation also examined how and why council failed to have an asbestos register and management plan for its properties until late 2017 despite repeated notices in May and July that year from the regulatory body SafeWork.
Cr Brown said the second reason the reports must be released is that the ratepayers had spent a million dollars on the investigations and associated legal activity.
“Ratepayers are entitled to know what has gone on. They bankroll council, they bankrolled the investigations and they are bankrolling the clean-up.”
She said at least 8,000 tonnes of contaminated and potentially contaminated waste have been trucked to Blaxland tip and other facilities with a bill of around $4 million.
"I don't understand these claims that the situation is a political witch-hunt and the asbestos issues were not as bad as originally said when we have 8,000 tonnes of evidence.'
“Around 200 workers and their families have been lung tested, including 77 who are considered medium- to high-risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. Tell them that this is just a political witch-hunt.”
The final reason cited by Cr Brown for releasing the full findings was the potential for further action by the Minister for Local Government.
‘Last December we voted for the investigators to release their report publicly and we promised the Minister in our submission that ‘nothing would be withheld. We used this to argue against suspending council.
“Do we really want to invite another suspension order or ministerial inquiry by failing to keep our word?”
In response, Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill, said: “Councillor Brown is aware that the matter of the release of information from the Clyde & Co independent asbestos investigation will be considered at the next council meeting on May 29.
“It is appropriate that the release of information, and the form of that release, has regard to all relevant legal issues, including the continuing investigations by SafeWork NSW and the EPA in respect of the council’s historic management of asbestos.”
