Page 5523 - Week 14 - Thursday, 30 November 2017
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There were 14 environmental health complaints received from 1 July 2017 to
31 October 2017, with no abatement notices issued.
In 2016-17, Access Canberra did not separately identify hoarding complaints. However, in 2017-18, seven complaints in relation to hoarding were received as at 17 November 2017.
(2) Within the Regulatory Services portfolio, one residential property has had repeated incidents of insanitary conditions over several years. There are several other known ‘hoarding’ properties that HPS regularly inspects. These properties are also monitored by the Hoarding Case Management Group.
Access Canberra currently has 3 hoarding matters currently under review with constant engagement with the lessees to assist in remediation of the property. One of these is being cleaned up by the deceased estate (family) and is under active remediation to ready the property for sale.
(3) Complex cases of hoarding that require management under multiple legislative powers are referred to the Hoarding Case Management Group chaired by ACT Health for multi-directorate co-ordination.
Access Canberra assists the Hoarding Committee with strategies and how to utilise legislative provisions under the Planning Act and Work Health and Safety Act to assist the remediation of unclean blocks in the Territory. This engagement is ongoing and the Committee is advised where regulatory powers are considered appropriate.
(4) Within the Regulatory Services portfolio, I can advise ACT Health does not record this information. Complaints not deemed to be public health risks are referred to ACT Housing if the complaints involve ACT Housing properties.
Access Canberra has no outstanding matters relating to ACT Housing properties.
(5) No.
(6) The first meeting of the HCMG was held on 25 May 2015.
(7) In 2015, the HCMG managed six hoarding cases. In 2016, the HCMG managed eight cases. In 2017 (to 31 October 2017), the HCMG has managed 11 cases. Other cases have been raised by HCMG members, not all of these cases were complex enough to require intervention of the HCMG or fall within the Regulatory Services portfolio.
Several cases have been monitored by the HCMG across calendar/financial years.
Highly complex cases require multi-faceted approaches from government and community organisations to address underlying hoarding behaviours and related issues. Three such cases currently remain on the HCMG agenda.
(8) As noted in response to question 7, three cases from 2016-17 are being actively managed by the HCMG.
(9) ACT Health is considering a number of options for progressing a Hoarding Code of Practice and the HCMG is working collaboratively to manage complex cases involving hoarding-type behaviours in the ACT.
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