Liberal Senator Zed Seselja has called on his colleague and federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to consider Commonwealth support for victims of Mr Fluffy asbestos.
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Mr Hunt's office last week rebuffed a renewed push for the federal government to step in and support Canberrans diagnosed with mesothelioma after long-term exposure to Mr Fluffy asbestos, saying it was a territory responsibility.
But Mr Seselja said there were "grounds to have a serious discussion" about how the federal government could work with the ACT government to deal with the health impacts of the crisis, as it did with the Mr Fluffy buyback and demolition scheme in 2014.
The federal government provided a $1 billion loan to the territory to help fund the purchase and demolition of the more than 1000 homes Canberra known to have contained the loose-fill asbestos.
"Whilst there was no legal obligation for the [federal] government to step in in this way, I do believe the government did the right thing to provide support to those Canberrans whose homes were affected," Mr Seselja said in a statement to The Canberra Times.
"In the same way, I believe there are grounds to have a serious discussion about how to support those who have suffered detrimental health effects due to the presence of Mr Fluffy in their homes."
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Mr Seselja said he had written to Mr Hunt to outline the problem and ask him to consider what support the Commonwealth could offer sufferers.
"In the same way the Commonwealth has stepped up in the past, I am hopeful the government can work with the ACT government to offer some further support to those who continue to suffer," he said.
The push for the federal government to compensate Mr Fluffy victims has gained new momentum in the past week, with a chorus of people who either have mesothelioma or who have lost a family member to the incurable disease insisting now was the time for the Commonwealth to finally reasonability for a problem born under its watch.
The renewed effort was prompted by news the ACT government was considering a scheme to support Mr Fluffy victims, after it agreed to cover up to $250,000 worth of medical expenses for mesothelioma sufferer James Wallner.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
