Page 2924 - Week 07 - Thursday, 7 June 2012
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In relation to the Minister’s directorate, how many workplaces investigations/reviews have been (a) requested and (b) carried out.
Ms Burch: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) The Gambling and Racing Commission is a very small agency (approximately 25 staff). A response to the member’s question is likely to impact on the privacy of individual officers of the Commission.
Environment—air pollution
(Question No 2177)
Ms Bresnan asked the Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, upon notice, on 22 March 2012:
(1) What is the most recent data on the percentage of air pollutants, for example PM2.5 and PM10, in the ACT that are emitted by (a) wood heaters, (b) motor vehicles and (c) other and what does this category include.
(2) Can the Minister provide data on the quantities of the above pollutants detected in the ACT for the last five years.
(3) How often is air pollution data collected by the Government and how often is it reported on and released publicly.
(4) What suburbs have been detected as having high levels of air pollutants and what is the cause of this pollution in these areas.
(5) What are the most recent figures on the number of wood heaters installed in the ACT and how has this figure changed over the last five years.
(6) Are any Government approvals required to install a wood heater in an ACT dwelling.
Mr Corbell: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) ACT Health conducts air quality monitoring in accordance with the NEPM via two performance monitoring stations (PMS) located at Civic and Monash respectively, with a third location at Belconnen which contains a surrogate instrument for measuring particulate matter.
The basis for the continual assessment of ambient air quality nationally is the Ambient Air Quality National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM). The original NPI data was used in developing the NEPM standards.
The ACT Government measures a subset of the criteria pollutants listed in NEPM, namely carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), photochemical oxidants as ozone (O3) and particulate matter. It does not measure lead and sulphur dioxide as there are no significant emissions sources in the ACT. Historical monitoring shows that particulate matter is the only pollutant of concern in the ACT air-shed.
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