Page 2229 - Week 06 - Monday, 11 May 2009

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(5) The data is not collected in a way that enables this question to be answered without extensive analysis of client records.

Tuggeranong—air quality
(Question No 160)

Ms Bresnan asked the Chief Minister, upon notice, on 2 April 2009 (redirected to the Minister for Health):

(1) Has ACT Health started monitoring the 2.5 particulate air quality in Tuggeranong, pursuant to the recommendation of studies undertaken for the new data centre; if not, when does the Department plan to start.

(2) If the monitoring has started, what are the results of the measurements and are the results within safe levels.

(3) What standards are the ACT Government referring to in declaring what are safe levels.

(4) What are ACT Health’s long-term plans to monitor 2.5 particulate air quality in Tuggeranong, particularly once the data centre comes into operation.

Ms Gallagher: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) Monitoring of PM2.5 fraction commenced at the ACT Health Monash air quality monitoring site in June 2003. In 2005 and 2006, as part of the wood-smoke initiative, a network of specific air monitors which monitor for PM2.5 was set up across the ACT. This information is provided in the Chief Health Officer’s 2006 Report at page 68.

(2) The PM2.5 monitoring results are published infrequently in various reports, such as the Chief Health Officer’s Report or the ACT State of the Environment Report. For example, the PM2.5 monitoring results at the Monash site for the period July 2004 to June 2006 are published at page 62 of the Chief Health Officer’s 2008 Report. PM2.5 data for the ACT is also reported in the National Environment Protection Council’s (NEPC) Annual Report 2007-2008 at pages 192-193.

ACT Health collects air quality data (including PM2.5 monitoring results) for the Environment Protection Unit of the Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water. The Environment Protection Unit is the custodian of the data and the regulatory authority in relation to air quality in the ACT.

(3) The questions whether the results are within safe levels and what standards are the ACT Government referring to in declaring what are safe levels are not simple to answer. The Ambient Air Quality National Environment Protection Measure - Air NEPM (the national standard) sets uniform standards for six common air pollutants

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