Nearly 70 schools, preschools to close amid asbestos remediation works set to 'take days'

“Incompetent”….it’s not exactly a usual situation or one that was either easy to foresee or plan for. I’m sure they’re also stuck for contractors at short notice.

It may be unusual BUT nothing stopped the flow of information as to the process and as to when individual schools were cleared. Bunker mentality. Another success?? Time for the Minister to go.

You’re talking nonsense…it’s an unusual situation with an unique set of issues and many different stakeholders needing to be sorted in a little time as possible…of course there are going to be some issues with “the flow of information” and that’s regardless of which government or minister is in charge.

Are you trying to plan your afternoon?

“Meanwhile principals of these schools are sending out emails saying the “safety of our kids and staff is highest priority’ etc etc, and including links to Beyondblue, Lifeline, and so on.”

You don’t know what people are dealing with. The whole point is that people who are dealing with issues can reach out for help without being stigmatised.

So, are you suggesting that the Minister should not follow the law in the ACT? Hmmm, so under what powers does she disobey it, just because you personally don’t like the law on asbestos.

Astro, it doesn’t seem to be the law around asbestos that they take issue with. It is being inconvenienced by the child/children they CHOSE to have that they now have to be responsible for, for a day or two.

“for following the rules for dealing with asbestos” – but she isn’t. No other schools across Australia, except for a lone Brisbane school, have closed while dealing with this issue. ACT Catholic and independent schools have managed it fine without closing schools.

There IS most certainly, “nothing wrong with following sensible precautions to protect children even if the risks are small” – but these are not sensible precautions.

Seano is the reason big splash wont reopen. There is a risk someone will get hurt.

Whats an extra day or two when these products have been used for years?

Its no more dangerous today than it was yesterday or last year.

“Sensible precautions” LOL. What world are you living in.

Looking forward to all the health care and assistance you have in mind for all the kids that spent months playing in the sand pits.

Because you really do care about the kids don’t you?

“….but she isn’t. No other schools across Australia, “….except for South Australia.

“… but these are not sensible precautions….” one particle of this stuff which is tactile sand (ie. meant to be touched and played with) in the lungs is enough a potential lifelong illness and possible early death.

Yes the risk is low but parents are still entitled to know their child’s classroom free of known hazards.

“Seano is the reason big splash wont reopen. “….drivel…an another nonsensical ad hom because as with most topics you have nothing sensible to contribute Henry.

“Yes the risk is low but parents are still entitled to know their child’s classroom free of known hazards.”

@Seano This is such an idiotic take. Why do you feel you need to defend this stuff – just because Berry is a Labour minister? Do you even had kids in any of these schools? Or kids at all?

Yet you’ll be here all day pretending to speak for parents. Truly pathetic.

‘“Sensible precautions” LOL. What world are you living in.’ the one where a particle of this stuff can cause lifelong illness and even early death.

‘Looking forward to all the health care and assistance you have in mind for all the kids that spent months playing in the sand pits.’…not only is this a strawman, it’s also betrays that you’re uninformed and not letting that stop you from posting, this is not sandpit sand. It’s classroom material meant to be played with and shaped….by hand.

“Because you really do care about the kids don’t you?” well I certainly care enough that classroom environments should be free and clear of KNOWN hazards and don’t feel the need to make this about partisan politics….unlike some.

Sorry Mr Northside but you’re wrong. The Minister is actually following the law. You appear to be getting confused with jurisdictions. The laws applicable in this matter apply in state and territory legislation, not federal. So the Minister is following ACT law, not Western Australian or Tasmanian. Hope this makes sense.
It’s not relevant whether you think they are “sensible precautions” or not.

“except for South Australia” – where classrooms where closed 😉

Read the quotes from this expert here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-15/first-school-reopens-coloured-sand-asbestos-low-risk/106013676

Professor Martyn Kirk from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University said the risk of a person’s health being affected by the coloured sand was “extremely low”.

“It’s two things: it’s probably unlikely to become airborne, and the second is it’s really a very short-term exposure,” he said.

“What we are worried about is when they breathe it in, not if they consume it.

“It’s very unlikely in something like sand that you’re going to get much in the air.”

So far, air testing at eight of the ACT schools involved in the scare has returned negative results for traces of asbestos.

Professor Kirk said he did not expect any of the air testing at any of the schools to detect asbestos.

“If it was my child I would not be concerned.

“It’s not even something worth worrying about into the future.”

“@Seano This is such an idiotic take. “….mate coming from you, that’s a compliment because your comments here are a bunch of weak insults and vacuous nonsense, if we were on the same page I’d have to seriously reassess.

“Yet you’ll be here all day pretending to speak for parents. Truly pathetic.”

Truly pathetic is the apparent inability to form a cogent argument.

@Seano, you must get sick of having to defend yourself all the time.

@Heywood How is this comment in any way on topic? At least the other dude attempted an argument, a poor one but it was at least attempt, before going getting personal.

Mr Northside – I’d like to bring to your attention the historic track record the catholic church has when it comes to taking responsibility for their actions. Particularly harming children. They aren’t taking precautions at the catholic schools because when a former student gets lung disease in the future, they won’t deal with it just like their other abuses of children. Gods plan.

“where classrooms where closed 😉”….ah now NZ also…,

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-17/asbestos-sand-contamination-new-zealand-school-closure/106017844

“…said the risk of a person’s health being affected by the coloured sand was “extremely low”.”

So not zero then?

You’re basically suggesting that the government ignore a known risk because it’s “very small” (and while that may be true, without any testing to back this theory up)….OK so where do they draw that line? Who is responsible in the not zero event that something goes wrong?

seano – please remember these words that you wrote:

“Yes it’s a massive inconvenience over what will likely not be a significant issue but the first person up before a royal commission if something disastrous does happen would be the minister explaining why they didn’t follow protocols.”

“There is nothing wrong with following sensible precautions to protect children even if the risks are small.”

Particularly these: “sensible precautions to protect children even if the risks are small.”

Why ? Because you’ll be asked over the coming days to apply a similar standard to another asbestos issue. And the chances of that standard being turfed aside are very high indeed 🙂

The chances of you taking things out of context and misrepresenting them as you stalk through these forums desperate for a gotcha, is about the same chance as it blowing up in your face as you trip over those clown shoes again Penfold. ie. 100%.

How do I know this? Because you don’t know what my position on whatever issue has bee in your bonnet, because I don’t even know what it is….but you give away what your position is on every topic, in every case…Labor bad.

This why you lashed out when I agreed with one of your right winger fellow travellers recently, if everyone is not blindly partisan what does that say about you?

Great ! So when you learn that asbestos has been found in wind turbines and it might have a national impact, in the spirit of consistency no doubt you’ll demand they are all shut down, pending investigation.

Wouldn’t want loose asbestos being flung around by those turbines and spread long distances. And we certainly wouldn’t want people thinking renewables are dangerous.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-21/asbestos-wind-turbine-renewable-energy-health-safety-goldwind/106032506

Sensible precautions to protect children even if the risks are small, naturally.

“Sensible precautions to protect children even if the risks are small, naturally.”

How many children are in wind turbines on daily basis Penfold? Give me a number.

Are serious? What on earth are you talking about. It’s a maintenance issue in autonomous structure….which on typical day will feature ZERO children.

Even by your standards of desperately lame gotcha attempts this is a spectacular self-own.

Thank you for confirming what was obvious. The double standard – or is that lack of standards – was very predictable.

Even funnier is the suggestion that the only risk would be if someone was inside the turbine. You might want to brush up on all the moving parts a wind turbine has.

“Thank you for confirming what was obvious. The double standard – or is that lack of standards – was very predictable.”

Laughable. Where is the double standard except in your personal fantasy? From the article you haven’t read:

‘”All staff access to the affected turbines with 3S lifts has been restricted across the entire Goldwind Australia fleet,” the spokesperson said.’

‘A company spokesperson said access to the turbines had since been restricted to approved asbestos removal specialists.’

So no staff at risk, until the issue is properly dealt with. Cool. So what’s the problem?

Ah but you also had the gall to state:
“Sensible precautions to protect children even if the risks are small, naturally.”

As if remote windfarms and ACT public schools are the same thing.

Tell me Penfold how many children are employed by Goldwind Australia in remote windfarms? Hint it’s the same number of times as you’ve won a debate on this forum…yes that’s right zero.

Just standard Penfoldian puerile nonsense as he cleverly adds 2 and 2 and gets oranges in yet another false equivalence logical fallacy.

They were your words, deliberately requoted to avoid any confusion.

Perhaps scroll up the thread to see where you wrote them 👀

You can requote them all you like.

Windfarms in remote Tasmanian/NSW are not classrooms in the ACT. Your false equivalency is ludicrous.

Note too these windfarms have had all staff restricted from access until the the asbestos is removed.

Your whole line of argument is puerile nonsense. There are no staff at risk let alone children and the issue is being dealt with.

You’ve tripped over those big red shoes….again.

Thanks seano, I was very confident that you wouldn’t disappoint and you didn’t.

One standard when it suits, another when it doesn’t. Classic example of hypocrisy.

Luckily smarter minds are on the case, with safety alerts being issued nationwide.

Zinger 🤣

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15319127/Nationwide-alert-issued-asbestos-detected-Chinese-wind-turbines-country.html

Pengold comparing school classrooms to wind turbine service lifts that need infrequent access and maintenance by trained staff.

Where the impacted assets have already had access restricted and controls put in place.

There’s definitely double standards at play, just not in the way the zero thinks.

😂👨‍🦯

Does that suggest you’re only interested in the welfare of children seano ? What about the workers in and around wind turbines, doesn’t their health and safety matter ?

It really does appear you’ve fallen over hook, line and sinker on this issue. Maybe the school holidays can’t come quickly enough.

“One standard when it suits, another when it doesn’t. Classic example of hypocrisy”

There is no hypocrisy, your comparison here is ludicrous. Classrooms in the ACT are not wind turbines in remote areas of Tasmania and NSW.

AND if you had actually read the article YOU linked you would know both have been cleared of people until properly cleared by asbestos removal professionals.

So what “hypocrisy” are you even calling out?

It’s a bizarre and personalised line of attack that suggests losing debate after debate is getting to you.

“What about the workers in and around wind turbines, doesn’t their health and safety matter ?”

Again if you’d read the article you linked you would know that the workers “in and around the wind turbines” have been excluded from the site until the asbestos is properly dealt with.

“It really does appear you’ve fallen over hook, line and sinker on this issue. Maybe the school holidays can’t come quickly enough.”

No it appears that you’re actually being rather silly.

There are no children at these wind turbine sites, so your comparison between schools and wind turbines whilst you wring your hands and declaim “What about the children” is bizarre and your crocodile tears for the workers are also laughable given that they’re no longer on site…which you’d know if you’d read the article.

This is one of your most spectacular self owns ever Penfold. Kudos.

Seano,
Just highlights how much Penzero relies on the Groupthink talking points that are fed to him, rather than being able to investigate and understand any single issue independently.

Shouting now, lol 🤣

But you didn’t answer the question – classrooms and wind turbines both house humans, so why the different standards ?

Plus turbines can disperse asbestos to wide areas meaning even more risk.

Did you really thunk this one through ? 🤔

“Just highlights how much Penzero relies on the Groupthink talking points that are fed to him, rather than being able to investigate and understand any single issue independently.”

Exactly. He posted a link to the IPA the other day so I’d suggest much of his mindless regurgitation of the talking points comes from there…which explains why they so often blown are in his face.

“Plus turbines can disperse asbestos to wide areas meaning even more risk.”

Bahahahahahaha.

This is next level dumb, even for you.

“But you didn’t answer the question – classrooms and wind turbines both house humans, so why the different standards ?”

Are you still on this nonsense? Just can’t stop beclowning yourself Penfold.

Firstly neither a classroom, nor a wind turbine “house” humans. And secondly both sites have had “humans” excluded from operational functions until they are cleaned up by professionals. This was literally reported in the article you linked but didn’t read. So where is the hypocrisy?

“Plus turbines can disperse asbestos to wide areas meaning even more risk.”

Ah….and there it is….I was wondering if you’d resist this silly argument but I see you’re desperate now.

Based on what evidence?

“Did you really thunk this one through ? 🤔”

Well I did, but you clearly didn’t Penfold when you claimed that schools and wind turbines are the same, ignored the fact that both sites had people excluded until they are professionally cleared of asbestos and when you assumed based on nothing but desperation that “turbines disperse asbestos” and that this means “even more risk”.

You’re now making stuff up because your arguments are silly and another “gotcha” has blown up in your face. You don’t have to constantly beclown yourself Penfold, take the L dude.

“There are no children at these wind turbine sites” says Seano.

Maybe not, but there certainly are children at the wind turbine and solar panel factories.

The logical fallacy you’re engaging with here Capital, in posting this comment without evidence or even any knowledge of where or how the parts used in these wind turbines are made (and solar panels weren’t even mentioned) is the red herring logical fallacy.

https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/Red-Herring

It’s another irrelevant argument, Penfold doesn’t need your help to beclown himself…he’s once again tripping over those big red shoes all on his own.

Very true CR, seano’s even posting red herrings 🐟 to deflect anywhere else.

The double standards on display are a clear example of one rule when it suits and another rule when it doesn’t.

Why ? To pretend that wind turbines can’t have faults. Do you think seano knows that when the wind doesn’t blow they produce no power.

seano are you aware Australia buys the majority of wind turbines from China ?

No red herring, promise 🤣

Just reading my daily right wing news sources to see what Groupthink talking points Penzero will be blindly regurgitating.

Wind turbines dispersing asbestos

😂😂😂😂👨‍🦯👨‍🦯👨‍🦯

“Very true CR, seano’s even posting red herrings 🐟 to deflect anywhere else.”

Tedious Penfold. You’ve not made your case. Pretending otherwise doesn’t make it so.

Wind turbines in remote Tasmania/NSW are not classrooms in the ACT. And yet both sites have had people excluded from access until professionals clear the asbestos.

The hypocrisy you claim simply does not exist. You’ve dug yourself into another hole from which it’s hard to escape whilst wearing those big red clown shoes.

“seano are you aware Australia buys the majority of wind turbines from China ?”

I’m aware that this unproven argument is a red herring that has nothing to do with your false claims of hypocrisy over the handling of asbestos removal.

I remind you that you don’t have to beclown yourself Penfold, it is not a requirement.

Well that sounds like a “no, i’m not aware”. No major surprises there seano, but it’s hard to see what case i need to make since it’s already been made.

Now seano let’s go slowly again for you here …. the article discusses low risks …. but let’s remember your words earlier:

“…said the risk of a person’s health being affected by the coloured sand was “extremely low”.”

So not zero then? You’re basically suggesting that the government ignore a known risk because it’s “very small” (sic)

https://reneweconomy.com.au/wind-turbine-asbestos-link-reignites-calls-for-local-manufacturing-animates-anti-renewables-camp/

So let’s agree the risks to humans – children or adults – are low, but you yourself have demanded action, lest “the government ignore a known risk because it’s “very small”.

So you can see, well maybe, the clear multiple standards at play here.

So my question is – do you have a clear, rational, defensible position on asbestos risks and what policy should be adopted ?

And since you’ve mentioned Jumbo Wallner (but not his classmate Ollie Cordell who sadly met the same awful disease), perhaps you could provide a sensible answer without the usual sillyness.

‘So let’s agree the risks to humans – children or adults – are low, but you yourself have demanded action, lest “the government ignore a known risk because it’s “very small”’

You’re now so desperate to not book another L I see you’ve moved from red herrings to strawmen, Penfold. How unsurprisingly tedious.

Where is this demand? I pointed out that though the risks are small, the government cannot just ignore them based on assumptions. Especially when, though the risks are small, the potential impacts to children are significant. There was never any “demand”.

And having not read the article you posted Penfold, you clearly didn’t realise that the wind turbine company had stood down staff pending safe removal of asbestos.

So when you false claimed hypocrisy you did so on the childish assumption that I would support safe removal of asbestos in schools but not in wind turbines.

Why? Probably because to someone who is blindly partisan like yourself every issue is viewed through the culture wars lens…to you wind turbines = bad, QED in your alternative universe everyone who supports clean energy must give a pass to anything going wrong in that space.

It’s a sad alternative universe you live in Penfold but I can’t see the rest of us joining you anytime soon.

PS. I see you’re back to incorrectly correcting grammar in lieu of an argument Penfold, which in itself is funny enough…but maybe you should learn to spell “sillyness” correctly first. What’s that old saying? Something about glasshouses?

PPS. Pro-tip before making accusations, read the article.

seano – are you seriously saying that you make comments like:

“seano are you aware Australia buys the majority of wind turbines from China ?”

I’m aware that this unproven argument is a red herring that has nothing to do with your false claims of hypocrisy over the handling of asbestos removal.” (sic)

Yet have no idea that Goldwind – who supplies the majority of Australian wind turbines – is a Chinese company ?

Do you ever research this stuff before hitting the send button ? Goodness gracious.

This thread was always going to be a hoot seano for one simple reason. Let’s call it the goodies and baddies reason. In seano world things are so black and white, no shades of grey. On this issue you’ve had to balance your self-declared roles as protector of children and defender of renewables. And on the asbestos issue, there’s a big clash in the middle.

It was obvious which way you’d go, hilariously trying to tell us that children couldn’t be found inside wind turbines and completely ignoring the fallout that a turbine can spread over many kilometres. It’s been quite a spectacle, including now reducing yourself to spellchecking.

It’s reminiscent of Groucho Marx famous quote – “Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.” Quite.

“Yet have no idea that Goldwind – who supplies the majority of Australian wind turbines – is a Chinese company ?”

I have not interest in you trying to change the topic with a different set of evidence free claims, to an entirely different argument because you’ve lost the debate on asbestos.

You should have read the article Penfold. There is no hypocrisy when both the wind turbines and ACT classrooms are essentially being treated similarly. AND I didn’t mention wind turbines at all…you just made a big assumption (because you didn’t read the article) and have tripped over those clown shoes once again.

“This thread was always going to be a hoot…”

Yes I agree.

“…. hilariously trying to tell us that children couldn’t be found inside wind turbines and completely ignoring the fallout that a turbine can spread over many kilometres. “

Because as you always do when one of these gotchas blows up in your face you were going to make things up. As you have here. You have no evidence for this claim, it is entirely made up and as always with things that are made up they can be immediately dismissed.

“It’s been quite a spectacle, including now reducing yourself to spellchecking.”

And once again you resort to deliberate misrepresentation. I don’t care about anyone’s typos….until they start pointing out other people’s typos whilst making their own. As you so often do Penfold, typically in lieu of an actual defensible argument.

Shooting down your bad faith, illogical and fact free arguments is fun…well it would be if it wasn’t so easy….pointing out your hypocrisy though is a you say a “hoot”.

You have failed to prove your hypocrisy claim, classrooms & wind turbines are being dealt with similarly for the removal of asbestos and I have not called for or demanded anything let alone done so hypocritically.

The rest of this thread is your embarrassment at being caught once again jumping to conclusions having not read the article you yourself posted.

PS. Thanks for the Groucho Marx quote though, shame you’ve used it incorrectly. Personally I always liked Groucho Marx’s quip….“He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don’t let that fool you. He really is an idiot.” Quite.

As the great Bill Lawry would say, “got him, he’s goooorne” ! 🤣🏏

Well he wouldn’t, in this case Penfold, because Bill was never delusional.

The guy who claimed that windfarms disperse asbestos thinks he won something? 😂👨‍🦯

In the Penzero world, there is only black and white, no grey. He saw windfarms and asbestos in the Groupthink talking points and jumped right in without thinking or actually investigating the issue he was discussing at all.

Don’t think goldfish are allowed on the cricket pitch, another swing and a miss.

Absolutely, Mr Fluffy hysteria in a sand container.

Very sadly James Wallner died of mesothelioma in 2020 related to living in a Mr Fluffy house, so hardly hysteria. Whilst the risks in this case are likely low (we are assuming) they are not zero.

Kids bring in their new sand for show and tell.