Evidence given at the Hunters Hill radium smelter inquiry shows that Environment Minister Verity Firth misled Parliament in May when she said radiation levels in Nelson Parade homes ‘fall within ARPANSA guidelines’, Member for Castle Hill Michael Richardson said today. 

“ANSTO Director of Safety Cait Maloney described testing carried out in February as ‘rough and ready’ because the Department of Environment and Climate Change wanted results in just a few days,” Mr Richardson said.

“The Government had a political problem and wanted ANSTO to provide a quick fix.”

Ms Maloney said ANSTO was not asked to undertake soil testing, assess the inhalation or ingestion of particles, or test for radon. It also emerged that ANSTO measured the data, but left the analysis to unqualified staff in the Department of Health.

“ARPANSA assesses radiation using the international standard of 1 millisievert per year above background. ANSTO measured radiation inside a bedroom of No. 11 at more than four times that level,” Mr Richardson said.

“Yet NSW Health told the owners the level was marginally above the ARPANSA limit. They also conceded that areas in the gardens and on balconies were too high.

“It was completely untrue for Ms Firth to say that radiation levels fell within ARPANSA guidelines. The ANSTO data clearly exceeds them, and NSW Health had already said they were too high.

“On April 11 Department of Health Media Director Wayne Geddes issued a statement on behalf of Health Minister Reba Meagher saying that ‘the results of the testing indicate that people living in Nelson Parade should have no health concerns’ and that ‘based on the ANSTO tests, there is no indication for further testing of other properties in Nelson Parade to be undertaken.’

“That statement was almost criminally misleading. All the Inquiry experts said there is a need for further testing to ‘characterise’ the contamination – to determine its extent and composition.

“Will Ms Meagher tell the former resident of No. 11 who has thyroid cancer that she should have no health concerns?

 “Two Ministers have downplayed the risks by relying on a superficial study that uses ANSTO’s good name for its credibility.

 “The inquiry evidence makes it clear that the whole street needs further testing to determine the extent of the contamination, and that all contamination should be cleaned up to reduce future risk.”