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For former Mr Fluffy homeowner Felicity Prideaux, news about a new federal system tracking properties with asbestos could not have come soon enough. “We had been worried about not all the homes being known about, so for the government to publish a list such as this is fantastic,” Ms Prideaux said. “People who had some form of exposure or asbestosis will now be able to trace their exposure back through the list, and this is absolutely a major step.” While the release of a federal government-run national map detailing the locations of properties with asbestos is not expected to be publicly available until early next year, Ms Prideaux, who is also part of the Mr Fluffy Homes Full Disclosure Group, has welcomed its announcement. READ MORE: The former Fluffy resident surrendered her home in 2014 after it was revealed it had been contaminated with loose-fill asbestos. Despite the national map being under development, Ms Prideaux said such a tool should have been created earlier in order to help more people who were affected by asbestos. She said questions still surround whether the map would only focus on bonded asbestos or whether loose-fill asbestos would also be included among the data. “While this happening now is fantastic, it would have been wonderful to have seen this five years ago, but we have to look forward,” Ms Prideaux said. “We need to be able to tackle this in the first instance and there are a lot of homes with asbestos that we don’t know about in the ACT and NSW.” As of July 2021, there are still 35 residential properties that have been identified as being affected by Mr Fluffy that remain on the affected premises register. READ MORE: Victims of Mr Fluffy have yet to receive funds for medical expenses as part of a joint federal and territory government $16 million Asbestos Disease Assistance Fund, due to the design still being finalised. The national asbestos map will be made up of data from pre-existing registers from state, territory and federal governments and will also use artificial intelligence to predict which properties are at risk. An ACT government spokesman said the territory government was awaiting further details of the proposal before data would be submitted. “The ACT government maintains a publicly available register of residential premises in the ACT that are currently affected with loose fill asbestos insulation,” the spokesman said. However, the federal Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency has said the map will focus on predicting the presence of asbestos anywhere in the home. Canberran Marion McConnell’s husband Brian died of mesothelioma in 2016 after being exposed to Mr Fluffy asbestos, and has welcomed plans for the national map. “It could be very helpful, but I thought that there were already lists about where the asbestos was,” she said. “There wouldn’t be any harm in doing it now, because there has been a lot of time in between when a lot of the asbestos was cleaned up.” Ms McConnell was still awaiting details on the asbestos medical fund which was being established, which she said was critical for victims. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

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For former Mr Fluffy homeowner Felicity Prideaux, news about a new federal system tracking properties with asbestos could not have come soon enough.

“We had been worried about not all the homes being known about, so for the government to publish a list such as this is fantastic,” Ms Prideaux said.

“People who had some form of exposure or asbestosis will now be able to trace their exposure back through the list, and this is absolutely a major step.”

While the release of a federal government-run national map detailing the locations of properties with asbestos is not expected to be publicly available until early next year, Ms Prideaux, who is also part of the Mr Fluffy Homes Full Disclosure Group, has welcomed its announcement.

The former Fluffy resident surrendered her home in 2014 after it was revealed it had been contaminated with loose-fill asbestos.

Despite the national map being under development, Ms Prideaux said such a tool should have been created earlier in order to help more people who were affected by asbestos.

She said questions still surround whether the map would only focus on bonded asbestos or whether loose-fill asbestos would also be included among the data.

“While this happening now is fantastic, it would have been wonderful to have seen this five years ago, but we have to look forward,” Ms Prideaux said.

“We need to be able to tackle this in the first instance and there are a lot of homes with asbestos that we don’t know about in the ACT and NSW.”

As of July 2021, there are still 35 residential properties that have been identified as being affected by Mr Fluffy that remain on the affected premises register.

Victims of Mr Fluffy have yet to receive funds for medical expenses as part of a joint federal and territory government $16 million Asbestos Disease Assistance Fund, due to the design still being finalised.

The national asbestos map will be made up of data from pre-existing registers from state, territory and federal governments and will also use artificial intelligence to predict which properties are at risk.

We need to be able to tackle this in the first instance and there are a lot of homes with asbestos that we don’t know about in the ACT and NSW.

Felicity Prideaux

An ACT government spokesman said the territory government was awaiting further details of the proposal before data would be submitted.

“The ACT government maintains a publicly available register of residential premises in the ACT that are currently affected with loose fill asbestos insulation,” the spokesman said.

However, the federal Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency has said the map will focus on predicting the presence of asbestos anywhere in the home.

Canberran Marion McConnell’s husband Brian died of mesothelioma in 2016 after being exposed to Mr Fluffy asbestos, and has welcomed plans for the national map.

“It could be very helpful, but I thought that there were already lists about where the asbestos was,” she said.

“There wouldn’t be any harm in doing it now, because there has been a lot of time in between when a lot of the asbestos was cleaned up.”

Ms McConnell was still awaiting details on the asbestos medical fund which was being established, which she said was critical for victims.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: