“Repairs made to public housing estates in the Northcote District are completely inadequate to ensure they remain safe or comfortable,” said Alex Bhathal. “These homes are not insulated, resulting in oven-like temperatures in the summer and freezing conditions the in winter.”

Alex Bhathal said the 1950s concrete-slab homes, so prevalent in the Northcote public housing estates, also have fibre-cement (FC) sheeting that contains asbestos.

“The Greens are very concerned that people are at risk from exposure to asbestos in broken FC sheets,” said Alex Bhathal. “Tenants need to be told of the risks of asbestos and how to identify any exposed asbestos materials.”

Alex Bhathal called for the Bracks Government to follow the guidelines of its own Sustainable Energy Authority and insulate the houses with external cladding.

“External cladding isolates the thermal mass of the concrete and is relatively inexpensive,” said Alex Bhathal. “It would also eliminate heat loss in winter and dramatically improve the energy efficiency of the property.”

For more information and comment please contact:
Alex Bhathal: 0431 933 546
or
Dave Lane on (mob) 0419 156 213