Radiation Safety Amendment Bill 2009

Mr Speaker, I rise to make a contribution to the Radiation Safety Amendment Bill introduced into this Chamber in 2009 by the Minister for Health.

The objective of the Bill is to:

• enhance the security measures for radiation sources under the Radiation Safety Act 1999 and thereby minimise the risk of these sources being used for malicious purposes; and 

• promote greater consistency with the object of the Radiation Safety Act 1999 to protect the environment from the harmful effects of radiation.

The Radiation Safety Bill is the principal piece of legislation in Queensland regulating the use, acquisition, disposal, relocation and transport of radiation sources.

The Bill amends the Radiation Safety Act 1999 (the Act) to give effect to the recommendations of a COAG commissioned Review of Radiological Materials. Adoption of these recommendations will enhance security measures for radiation sources and reduce the risk of these sources falling into the hands of terrorists.

The most significant part of the Bill concerns the adoption of the National Security Code which requires a range of physical and procedural security measures to be implemented as well as mandating that persons dealing with high risk radioactive materials must undergo a security background check.

Adopting the National Security Code will allow Queensland and the Commonwealth to work together more effectively to ensure the regulation of radiological materials can be overseen from a safety and security perspective.

In April 2007, COAG agreed to a National Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Security Strategy to provide a framework to strengthen and enhance Australia’s existing national counter-terrorism arrangements.

Also in April 2007, COAG agreed to the recommendations from the report on the ‘Regulation and Control of Radiological Material’. Radiation sources and risks to human health

There are two forms of radiation – ionising and non-ionising radiation. Ionizing radiation includes radioactive substances such as cobalt-60, caesium-137, and iodine-131.

The main users of man-made radiation in Queensland include medical facilities and research and teaching institutions.

Medical uses of ionizing radiation include the diagnosis of many diseases and the treatment of cancer.

Royal Brisbane Hospital is the centre of excellence in Queensland for patients who undergo treatment for thyroid cancers in particular for follow up and detection of remnant thyroid cancers and ablation of thyroid tumors after partial thyroidectomy.

All patients who are currently diagnosed with thyroid cancers and referred to the Royal Brisbane Hospital for treatment with radioactive iodine.  This is for two reasons.  One is that the expertise for dealing with these types of cancers is centered here in Brisbane and the second reason is that Royal Brisbane has the capability of storing radioactive iodine waste product.

This centre would be particularly targeted and would have widespread effects on the treatment and follow up of all thyroid patients in the state of Queensland.

If a radioactive source fell into the hands of terrorists and was used for malicious purposes the health consequences for Queenslanders could include:

• Delayed effects including cataracts, sterility, cancer, and harmful genetic effects.
• Large acute exposure can cause radiation sickness, evidenced by gastrointestinal disorders, bacterial infections, hemorrhaging, anemia and loss of body fluids.
• Very high does of acute radiation exposure can lead to death within hours.

Another very valid concern I have is for patients in Queensland, particularly those public patients from the Gold Coast who currently attend hospitals in Brisbane for radioactive iodine treatments.

These patients currently are herded on a bus up to Brisbane and wait in a queue to have their treatments before being bussed back to the Gold Coast.

These patients are transported on a bus to have this treatment thanks to the wonderful work of the Cancer Council who provide this service for Gold Coast patients.

This bus does not have toilet facilities and would therefore need to stop at a public toilet facility should patients who have undergone radioactive treatment need to avail themselves of a bathroom.

My great concern regarding radioactive safety is that these patients, who would ordinarily not share a common bathroom in a hospital facility, could, unintentionally and unknowingly, put the general public at risk of exposure to radioactive wastes.

The Gold Coast is the fifth largest city in Australia and it is appalling that public patients who cannot afford to pay to go private for radiation oncology services are still herded on a bus to Brisbane for services which should be available in our own city.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the private operators of radiation oncology services on the Gold Coast, particularly the Wesley Radiation Oncology Trust at John Flynn Hospital in Tugun. 

I would like to acknowledge Dr Bernie Mason and his group for providing these services to public patients on the Gold Coast. 

Single handedly they have propped up this Labor Governments continued lack of commitment to public radiation oncology services on the Gold Coast for many years.

This Government has buck-passed and cost-shifted to the private health sector on radiation oncology services for years

I note that implementation of this legislation will mean that the State Government will face additional costs as a result of administering and monitoring compliance with the new security requirements being introduced by the Bill.

It is estimated that an additional $0.33 million will be required per year to support these new regulatory functions.

As part of the 2009-2010 budget process, a review of the fees under the Act was conducted.

As a result of this review it has been recommended that the fees be increased beyond the usual annual adjustment for movement in the Consumer Prince Index.

I would hope that there is a discount for private radiation groups who have been responding to the needs of Gold Coast public radiation oncology patients, when this legislation is implemented, while this Labor State Government has ignored and continues to ignore the plight of residents in the Mudgeeraba electorate such as Des Brown and his carer Pat Bastow who have actually had to pay for sevices that should have been available publicly.

I hope that the Minister takes on board my very genuine concerns regarding radiation services and their delivery in any discussions with the Rudd government into the future and appreciates the expertise that I bring to this House on matters relating to health.

I would also like to briefly take the opportunity to correct a comment made by the Minister during Question Time following my second question without notice.  I am sure if the Deputy Premier checked with the Minister for Main roads he would familiarise himself with how effective my previous questions without notice have been in changing the policy of Main Roads, eliciting an apology from the minister and securing a backflip on temporary safety barriers on the M1.

Finally I would again urge the minister to guarantee in writing that our existing health services will not be worse off under a Rudd takeover of our health system. 

I commend Radiation Safety Amendment Bill to the House.