I have contacted the Environmental Health Directorate regarding your query about the provision of hand cleaning supplies in schools.
They have kindly provided the information below:
Unfortunately, the Health Act 1911 is not binding on the Crown, so our legislation cannot be used to force government schools to provide soap, toilet paper and hand drying facilities in student toilets. We strongly recommend it.
The staff facilities are captured by Worksafe's legislation, which is binding on the Crown.
Hand washing is a primary defence against the spread of infectious disease and should be available in every toilet.
The Communicable Disease Control Directorate can provide further information on the efficacy of hand washing.
The Department of Education and Training may also be able to provide further information to you regarding this issue - www.det.wa.edu.au
Kind regards,
Judith
On behalf of DoH, PR Contact
AND
Mr Evans,
Thank you for your online query on 2nd October 2009. The subject of school hand hygiene has been a problem, not only in Western Australia, but in many first world countries, such as America and the U.K., and it has been discussed at many health forums of late, particularly in regard to reducing the spread of the H1N1 pandemic flu, as well as other contagious illnesses.
At present, hand hygiene in schools is managed by the Principal of the individual school, based on a Policy developed by the Department of Education & Training, or DET (attached). Unfortunately, as you have pointed out, paper towels and soap are often the first to go under budget cuts, and as toilets are often subject to vandalism, their loss can be justified. The antibacterial gels are also of concern, as they may kill bacteria and viruses, but do not remove dirt and oils, and they also work to improve resistance of pathogens to existing antibacterials.
The Department of Health (DOH) is currently involved in liaising with various agencies, governmental departments, universities involved in testing, as well as the hygiene industry (such as soap-makers, dispensers, and the like), in order to establish some solutions to this wide-spread problem.
I apologise for not being able to give you a more definite answer. The DOH has been aware of this problem for some time, however, a solution is yet to be found, not only in WA, but the whole of Australia, and it requires funds, resources, and backing of politicians. In fact the DOH and DET are currently researching a hand washing system which may solve many hygiene concerns in schools, and my colleagues are seeking support from senior politicians in the coming weeks. Unfortunately the system is seeking patenting, so I cannot elaborate.
If you have any further queries, don't hesitate to get in touch.
Regards,
Jaala Downes
Scientific Officer
Environmental Hazards Unit
Environmental Health Directorate
Grace Vaughan House
Ph: 9388 4950 Fax: 9388 4905
To all parents, do your kids attend a Public School, I know that they are on holiday at the moment, but you need to ask them something before they go back to school, when they use the toilet at school, can they wash their hands, do they have soap available, can they dry their hands, seems like a question you should not have to ask your kids, but you may be surprised by the answer you receive.
Monday, 5 October 2009
Local government wipeout: Castrilli to cull one-third of councils
as posted here
EXCLUSIVE: A once-in-a-century shakeup of local government in Western Australia is likely to see a swathe of shires stretching from the Northern Territory border to the Southern Ocean erased forever from the State's political map.
The revelation means a legion of candidates elected in the upcoming October 17 local government elections will not serve out their full four-year terms.
A list of condemned councils, penned by the powerful Local Government Reform Steering Committee and obtained exclusively by WAtoday.com.au, will see the State's least sustainable shires, cities and towns culled.
The committee was hand-picked by Local Government Minister John Castrilli.
The Department of Local Government has already told at least 45 shires on the secret list that amalgamation is "required".
WA has 139 councils and is the last state in Australia to embark on significant local government reform.
In August, Opposition spokesman Paul Papalia slammed the"bumbling" Mr Castrilli's refusal to release the list.
Under the sweeping reforms, Metropolitan Perth, and possibly the Kimberley, are the only two of WA's 10 regions to avoid the amalgamation spotlight.
Ominously for the Kimberley, the list fails to mention 28 shires, including that region's four councils - though it is known that at least the Shire of Broome has avoided endangered council status.
The department wants the world's largest municipality - the 380,000 square kilometre Shire of East Pilbara - to merge with one of its gigantic council neighbours.
Meanwhile, Australia's smallest shire - the 1.1 square kilometre Peppermint Grove, which sits in Premier Colin Barnett's leafy western Perth electorate of Cottesloe - has been spared the amalgamation axe.
Also in the Premier's electorate, the tiny Town of Cottesloe joins Peppermint Grove, East Fremantle, Mosman Park, Nedlands and Victoria Park as minute municipalities WAtoday.com.au understands have escaped mandatory mergers.
Other councils understood to have only been asked to "consider" mergers are Rockingham, Busselton, Albany, Esperance, Kalamunda, Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Denmark.
A string of Wheatbelt and Great Southern shires have also been placed in this category and are likely to escape the Castrilli cut.
The Perth councils of Subiaco, Vincent, Cambridge and Bassendean are understood to have been spared the amalgamation spectre altogether, achieving a coveted "Category One" rating, indicating they are meeting community needs.
WA's largest city by population, Stirling, and the state capital of Perth are also understood to have achieved this status.
Other Category One councils apparently let off the hook are Armadale, Augusta-Margaret River, Bassendean, Bayswater, Belmont, Joondalup, Gosnells, Harvey, Mandurah, Melville, Mundaring, Murray, Plantagenet, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Swan.
The list of 45 councils the government wants culled from WA's political landscape is:
Boddington
Boyup Brook
Bruce Rock
Carnamah
Chapman Valley
Chittering
Coolgardie
Coorow
Corrigin
Cuballing
Cue
Cunderdin
Dalwallinu
East Pilbara
Katanning
Kellerberrin
Kent
Kondonin
Koorda
Lake Grace
Laverton
Leonora
Meekatharra
Menzies
Merredin
Mingenew
Morawa
Mukinbudin
Mount Magnet
Mount Marshall
Nannup
Narembeen
Narrogin (Shire)
Nungarin
Perenjori
Ravensthorpe
Sandstone
Three Springs
Toodyay
Upper Gascoyne
Victoria Plains
Wyalkatchem
Yalgoo
Yilgarn
Wiluna
as posted here
EXCLUSIVE: A once-in-a-century shakeup of local government in Western Australia is likely to see a swathe of shires stretching from the Northern Territory border to the Southern Ocean erased forever from the State's political map.
The revelation means a legion of candidates elected in the upcoming October 17 local government elections will not serve out their full four-year terms.
A list of condemned councils, penned by the powerful Local Government Reform Steering Committee and obtained exclusively by WAtoday.com.au, will see the State's least sustainable shires, cities and towns culled.
The committee was hand-picked by Local Government Minister John Castrilli.
The Department of Local Government has already told at least 45 shires on the secret list that amalgamation is "required".
WA has 139 councils and is the last state in Australia to embark on significant local government reform.
In August, Opposition spokesman Paul Papalia slammed the"bumbling" Mr Castrilli's refusal to release the list.
Under the sweeping reforms, Metropolitan Perth, and possibly the Kimberley, are the only two of WA's 10 regions to avoid the amalgamation spotlight.
Ominously for the Kimberley, the list fails to mention 28 shires, including that region's four councils - though it is known that at least the Shire of Broome has avoided endangered council status.
The department wants the world's largest municipality - the 380,000 square kilometre Shire of East Pilbara - to merge with one of its gigantic council neighbours.
Meanwhile, Australia's smallest shire - the 1.1 square kilometre Peppermint Grove, which sits in Premier Colin Barnett's leafy western Perth electorate of Cottesloe - has been spared the amalgamation axe.
Also in the Premier's electorate, the tiny Town of Cottesloe joins Peppermint Grove, East Fremantle, Mosman Park, Nedlands and Victoria Park as minute municipalities WAtoday.com.au understands have escaped mandatory mergers.
Other councils understood to have only been asked to "consider" mergers are Rockingham, Busselton, Albany, Esperance, Kalamunda, Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Denmark.
A string of Wheatbelt and Great Southern shires have also been placed in this category and are likely to escape the Castrilli cut.
The Perth councils of Subiaco, Vincent, Cambridge and Bassendean are understood to have been spared the amalgamation spectre altogether, achieving a coveted "Category One" rating, indicating they are meeting community needs.
WA's largest city by population, Stirling, and the state capital of Perth are also understood to have achieved this status.
Other Category One councils apparently let off the hook are Armadale, Augusta-Margaret River, Bassendean, Bayswater, Belmont, Joondalup, Gosnells, Harvey, Mandurah, Melville, Mundaring, Murray, Plantagenet, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Swan.
The list of 45 councils the government wants culled from WA's political landscape is:
Boddington
Boyup Brook
Bruce Rock
Carnamah
Chapman Valley
Chittering
Coolgardie
Coorow
Corrigin
Cuballing
Cue
Cunderdin
Dalwallinu
East Pilbara
Katanning
Kellerberrin
Kent
Kondonin
Koorda
Lake Grace
Laverton
Leonora
Meekatharra
Menzies
Merredin
Mingenew
Morawa
Mukinbudin
Mount Magnet
Mount Marshall
Nannup
Narembeen
Narrogin (Shire)
Nungarin
Perenjori
Ravensthorpe
Sandstone
Three Springs
Toodyay
Upper Gascoyne
Victoria Plains
Wyalkatchem
Yalgoo
Yilgarn
Wiluna
as posted here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)