A report will be presented to Tamworth Regional Council later this month discussing whether or not a road that runs through Barraba’s Woodsreef asbestos mine in New South Wales should be closed. The NSW government and Woodsreef Taskforce are pushing for Crow Mountain Road to be closed due to fears that the public may be dangerously exposed to asbestos.
The report will be lengthy as it will include the many submissions that have been made to Council and the questions these raise. Council will have to consider a number of factors when making their decision and whether or not to support the request for closure.
The main factor that Council will take into consideration is that its public liability insurance does not cover Crow Mountain Road because of its connection to asbestos. It will also not cover any claims brought against Council in the future that arise from exposure to asbestos. These strict exclusions were implemented by insurance companies after the claims that were brought against James Hardie.
Council will have to take into account the impact closing the road will have on resident’s daily lives and businesses. Hopefully, the deciding factor should be whether this road poses a health risk to the community due to exposure to asbestos. This is a serious concern as even minimal exposure to asbestos can lead to a person contracting an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma.
Australian states including NSW, Victoria and Adelaide have legislation in place to help those suffering from an asbestos related disease pursue an asbestos compensation claim. These claims include both asbestosis compensation and mesothelioma compensation in Australia.
