A house on the Victorian-New South Wales has been earmarked for demolition after loose-fill asbestos was found at the property, hundreds of kilometres away from most known Mr Fluffy asbestos-affected properties.
The homeowners discovered the asbestos in the property after the tenants requested an electrician to deal with flickering lights at the property. The electrician found the loose-fill asbestos, known as the Mr Fluffy brand of insulation.
Member for Parliament, Bill Tilley, explained the situation to parliament this week and said that subsequent testing revealed: “not only that it was asbestos but a particularly toxic brand technically known as crocidolite and chrysotile, colloquially known as Mr Fluffy.”
In 2015, the NSW Government established a program that entailed the voluntary purchase and demolition of homes affected by Mr Fluffy asbestos insulation. Several homes in the Riverina area were affected, but the majority of affected properties were found throughout the ACT.
Mr Tilley said that there needs to be stronger action from the Victorian government on the issue. With no buy-back and demolition scheme in place in Victoria, where the find was made, the owners of the home are now required to pay at least $80,000 to have the property demolished.
“My fear is that this is not only limited to one home in Wodonga, but there may well be some more,” he said. “This is a huge, immediate and ongoing financial burden and clearly not covered by insurance.”
Mr Humphrey said he was aware, after being told by the Victorian branch of the Environment Protection Authority, that there were at least four other homes in the state that had been found to contain the material.