DECEMBER 2, 2015 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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Footscray Primary School pupils on the oval where asbestos has been found. (Simon O’Dwyer / The Age)
Asbestos shuts oval Parents are demanding a clean-up of Footscray Primary School’s asbestos-riddled oval after it was closed down by the principal because of safety fears. Footscray primary school principal Philip Fox closed the oval last Tuesday after erosion exposed building debris and possible trip hazards. Mr Fox said ongoing deterioration of the surface had resulted in rocks protruding and an uneven and hard surface. “My first priority is the welfare and safety of students,” he said. “This is a precautionary measure to ensure no child falls and injures themselves on the hazards identified, and parents have been notified by school newsletter.” Mr Fox said future use of the oval would be determined following a meeting between the
school and representatives from the Education Department. An external audit earlier this year, ordered by the Education Department, revealed that 140 out of 170 pieces of cement sheeting found at the school had tested positive to asbestos, school council president Mark Hollis said. Mr Fox said these asbestos fragments had been removed, and the area issued with a clearance certificate after a hygienist, who conducted air quality monitoring for the Department of Education over several months, found no asbestos fibres. However, parents have criticised the department for “dragging its heels” after four separate discoveries of asbestos over the past 18 months. Phyllis Campbell-McCrae said parents are worried about the health and safety of children and concerned a permanent fix has not been put in place.
“I would think that, after the second time [they found asbestos], a survey of the whole playing field would have occurred.” Ms Campbell-McCrae said the failure of the department to remediate the site over the summer school holiday break has left about 500 children with no green play space. Western suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland raised the matter in Parliament last Thursday, calling on Education Minister James Merlino to act on an issue the government has been aware of since 2011. “Parents and the school have reported asbestos to the government a number of times over the years,” she said. “Each time they came and dealt with that little bit, rather than assessing the whole oval to identify the wider problem. “This failure of process by the Labor government and the Liberal government before them has put the kids at risk.”
An Education Department spokeswoman said the department is assessing the recommendations of an occupational health and safety consultant, who visited the school last Monday. “The department has also been working closely with the school to monitor and manage some asbestos fragments, which were found on the school grounds,” she said. A spokesman for Education Minister James Merlino said Footscray MP Marsha Thomson has been working with the school to address safety issues and improve facilities there. “The minister will continue working with the school principal and the local member to achieve long term solutions to replenish the school oval,” he said. The spokesman said the government’s first budget delivered $42 million towards a $100 million commitment to removing asbestos from the state’s schools.
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