DHS and being a case!

We have had ongoing contact with DHS, seen as we are a sensitive one! Last week the worker returned to their region and we were advised to contact a worker from Cranbourne Information Support Service (CISS) as our central contact. Great to have a central contact and not hear people talking about us or be shuffled around and end up with reception trying to give our children's name to Child Protection!

CISS have been supportive, advocating for what we are needing and not taking over either (I am competent at some of this, I hope!?) Today they mentioned that DHS wanted a case plan.

I can feel the hairs raising on my arms and am holding my breathe! You see, I implemented person centred planning within Disability Services in Southern Metro Region, I am an expert on planning......but I don't want one. I don't want to be a client who has a case plan. Is that irrational?

I actually have a person centered plan, with goals for me and my family that we work towards, I am now adding this one

" I never ever ever want to be a client of DHS and have a case plan on their file"

Never thought I needed to add that really, but I have.

Instead I want to see the DHS case plan on how they will support us. On how they will make the grant process more accessable and flexible in it's uses for residents. On how they will find us some accommodation and manage our loss of income due to attending community meetings and searching for somewhere to live. Those are the plans that I think should be written, again this is not about me, I did nothing here. This is about how Govt are supporting residents.

Looking up an image to add to this post and I found this quote...

“our quality of life everyday is determined by the presence or absence of things that are important to us – our choices, our routines.” Michael Smull

Those things right now we have no control over, it is people in authority that do. We want our lives back, we want to be able to make sound choices for our future and enable the return of our routines, will the Govt support us in doing this? That is the question.

Methane Monitors Arrival!! Hip Hip Hooray!

We should be having a huge booze up tonight, finally after 15 days we have a monitor that measures Carbon Dioxide!!!! The misinformation about the monitors is tremendous, some of this has lead us to believe we were monitoring carbon dioxide and we weren't.

We based our decision to return to this house partly on the fact we thought we had a monitor that measures methane and carbon dioxide, apparently now we find out it measure methane and carbon monoxide.

Again I am reminded that their is really insufficient information for us to access the safety of our family and we are placing it in the hands of a disorganized management team. I hope they are prepared for the repercussions if it goes wrong....

City of Casey giving out incorrect advise to rental residents

I can't recall if I mentioned this in my first post, however when I sat the interview by the City of Casey for the grant to relocate, I was informed we could just break our lease. I advised the worker that that was incorrect and that there would be a process within the Residential Tenancies Act to follow and it would probably require an application to VCAT. I also suggested they check their information, rather then giving out incorrect information. It wasn't very well received, of course I was there in the capacity of a begging resident, not someone with over 10 years experience in the community welfare sector!!

So on the following Monday, I contacted the Victorian Tenants Union, seeking advice on the issue. I was advised it was complex and I needed to attend an interview at North Fitzroy, they couldn't assist me. I tried to explain that that was impossible, but it didn't really matter. I also explained about the incorrect info given out by the council and my concern that this would lead to rental residents getting into trouble with their lease. I asked if they could liaise with the City of Casey to ensure they were giving out the correct information. I was informed that that was not their responsibility. Nothing like everyone pitching in in a disaster! I requested to speak to a manager and was deferred to Consumer Affairs Victoria.

I then spoke with Consumer Affairs who provided me with the accurate information on the process I needed to take if I wanted to end my lease. again I asked that someone contact to council to ensure they were giving out correct information.

Last night I met a victim of this poor advise, a tenant who vacated their home, upon the advise of the EMT and the council. They thought they could just end their lease, when you have to apply through VCAT. Consequently they are now being taken to VCAT by their landlord for the bond, as they broke their lease. I am appalled, I am disgusted......if that resident looses her bond, the City of Casey should refund it to her, as it was their poor advice that lead to the situation. Working in this area, the first thing you NEVER EVER do is give information that you are not entirely sure about. I wonder how many more will be affected, I certainly informed the Major and an MP about the incorrect information provided....however i am certain nothing will come of that..

House Hunting take 4.5

Ok we have driven past 4 houses today, with the twins in the back seat bickering....oh what fun!!

We think one is suitable, but it is not available until the 22.10.08 That;s ok, at least we know where we are going. But.....the rent is $450 per week, $70 per week more than we pay now. The grant will pay that difference for 6 months, but what happens after that? Do we have to move for the 3rd time in 12 months? Do we incur that expense...this is not simple, as I have said before. We need some certainty. If anything I feel that difference should be covered indefinitely, we are talking about over $4000 per year, we can't find that within our budget..

I also tried to do some creative thinking on how we could address our storage issues. One was to locate a property with a double garage and use the grant to erect a garden shed for storage of our bikes and gardening equipment. That would increase the residential options available to us.

The response from DHS was "Why would we pay for that for a rental property"....the answer "because we have no f***in place to live!!!"

The DHS grant is entangles in so much red tape it is unworkable. Stop this, give the residents the total grant and let them find somewhere to live....the residents are not responsible for this, they are victims and they certainly are not money grabbers, which is how they perceive they are being treated as. (Sure i purposely rented a property with methane leaking into the house so I could scam some money from the government!)

House Hunting take 4

Okay today I have spent my only day off ringing real estate agents, leaving my details and information about the type of property we need.
I have rang
Buxton
Glenn Ryan
Wilson Pride
Barry Plant
Dawes 1st National
Wentworth Crowders
LJ Hooker
Andrew Milne
Austin Professionals
Abel Real Estate

nothing suitable.......

There were a couple of properties that may be suitable if we put in a garden shed, so we are doing drive by this afternoon. You see the rental market is very different from the sales market. We are not shown through 1 by 1, we have to wait for open for inspection times, tuff luck if you are not able to attend at that time! (There are 2 tomorrow that I can't see as I work all day)

Having said that there were also a few agents who said they would get us through quicker. It is relieving to see some humanity in all of this.

So today's real estate hunting effort will take approximately 6 hours!!

Community Meeting

I am distressed, i have been crying at the meeting and all the way home. I feel like one of the three little pigs who has had their house blown down! I can't even begin to explain how I feel right now, I think I need some time to figure that out and some sleeping tablets, as I didn't sleep well last night and have been up since 4am this morning.

All I can say is that while all of the politicians, City of Casey counselors and staff have gone home to their comfortable home, I am scowling realestate.com for properties to look at tomorrow. I am alone.

Addition to this blog....

Ok I needed a bit of time to think about last nights meeting. I am angry, so angry at the political grandstanding, that achieves nothing for residents. Where was the Emergency Management Team, who should have updated us upon our safety at the estate. They were gone, they gave their warning....does it still stand...has it changed...who knows!

The way the council planned to run the evening was condescending. I felt like we were rabble that they were trying to control, and doing it poorly. This estate has a wide variation in socio-economic backgrounds, there are tradies, professional, stay at home mums, business owners.....we should be treated with some respect.

It was really apparent that the purpose was for the council to defend themselves. I am unclear about how that was meant to address the concerns residents currently have. This was meant to be a community meeting, it wasn't.

It also concerned me that the council now feel that they can move along in the cycle and look at repairing the community, to enable that to happen residents must be certain they are safe, you can't repair things when they are not sure about this and no information from the meeting improved residents perspective about their safety.

So 1st of all, we need to get to a stage where it is ABSOLUTELY CLEAR we are safe in our homes and estate.......(a suggestion would be to send every resident the methane reading outcomes for each time they do it, maybe some residents can observe the process as well, to install more confidence and transparency)...then and only then can we look at community renewal.

Another reflection, I spoke to as many politicians and counselors as I could, I was clear that we needed help to locate another property. I passed on my mobile number many times.....was there a call from anyone today.....no, nothing. The behavior of the counselors and politicians present is appalling, there are no concrete steps on how we can be assisted in this crisis, I doubt they comprehend the impact it has upon families.

I have also been able to reflect upon how we can have a community meeting without the grandstanding and achieve some good outcomes. This needs to be handed over to residents, not managed by council. They can supply resources for it to occur, but not be in control. There may be times when the residents want information and pressure the council, they will cope some flack, however at least it will be residents working together and clarifying the outcomes they want to achieve. I am suspicious of the residents group the council want to gather, as it has council members. Let us invite who we think are helpful at the time.....give us some control and power back in our estate, right now we have none.....

house hunting take 3

More calls to rental agencies, properties leased already, others not available to view, some just not suitable. How many do you inquire about? I think I am allocating about 1.5 hours a day, is that enough? It's enough to make me feel like we will get NOTHING!!!!

Contact wih WAYSS

Well this morning I decided to check on a suggestion by the council and PCLS last night That was to contact WAYSS for emergency accommodation. I thought the suggestion was ridiculous, they have a shortage of accommodation for their regular clients, let alone two people in good incomes. Upon contacting them they advised we would need to attend for an appointment with a housing worker. They sounded like they may be able to assist in looking for a property.

But here is my issue...more time away from the business or off work to attend meetings, from the info last night, we wont get any of that loss back. So we loose out again.....

"The steam is going to kill you"

When I arrived home tonight Nathan told me that he was taking the kids outside to play and there was a horrible smell in the air. Jaiden said, "It's the steam, it's going to kill you!" Nathan tried to let him know that it was the rubbish, but both of them were adamant that it was the steam and decided they wanted to stay inside!

Request for rental reduction

Here is a copy of the letter requesting a reduction in our rental costs.

"As you are aware we (tenants of the above mentioned property) have been involved in the methane leak from the Stevensons Rd Landfill. Since the notification that the property we were renting was at risk of being exposed to methane and carbon dioxide we have spent time vacating the property and returned only due to the distress of our children and being unable to locate more suitable accommodation.

The current situation prevents us from experiencing quite enjoyment of the property. We have 2 methane monitors in the house, one that beeps every 30 seconds, CFA entering to check for methane levels and alarm monitoring people attending to download data on at least a weekly basis, along with regular community safety meetings to enable us to assess if the safety of our family.

Given the changes in which we find ourselves, we are requesting a reduction in the rental costs for the above property. We understand that you were unaware of this situation when renting the property to us, however we have no other means of recompense available to us.

If you could advise your consideration of our request, that would be greatly appreciated."

Methane Monitors & DHS case management

Yesterday the Methane monitoring company arrived with a new monitor, after DHS requested we had two and at least 1 that measures for carbon dioxide. They arrived with one that didn't measure carbon dioxide, so they said they would return today with one ta ht did, but it would be an older model and beep every 30 seconds. The lovely worker also informed me that there could be carbon dioxide without the methane, so here we are with a methane monitor that doesn't measure carbon dioxide thinking we are slightly safer.....how fooled we were.

We also had a call from DHS yesterday, advising that the person we were dealing with has to return to their region, they were brought in to assist and were given a contact at Cranbourne Information Support Service as a central contact person. However we are still stuck not being able to apply for the grant without being able to find somewhere to live first.

can't sleep. feel like we are sinking in quicksand alone!

Ok, it's early in the morning, anyone who knows me knows I am NEVER a morning person, so to be up this early, there is something wrong.

Last night there was a community meeting facilitated by the Peninsula Community Legal Centre. There were a range of people there from Consumer Affairs Victoria to Slater and Gordon Solicitors. At least 300 residents were there for the meeting. This is a photo of all the cars arriving.

The meeting was about our legal rights, particularly in relation to compensation. I had previously thought this would include us as we are living through this nightmare, however was quickly corrected, it is ONLY ABOUT PROPERTY OWNERS. The only assistance to people renting is in relation to their lease and assistance to get out of it!

So where do we stand, no where, are our costs of this disaster covered? No. Are we able to receive compensation in relation to the stress and trauma? No (There is not enough money in that to make it viable) It is just about property losses. I feel betrayed, like we are the dirt on the pile that is being swept away. Funny how renters often feel like that.

I got the message loud and clear that no-one was looking at our interests in relation to compensation and that our best option was to get out before we incur more trauma and stress and financial loss. (Apparently our financial loss isn't enough)

I did highlight to the Peninsula Community Legal Service that there were costs not covered in the long term, like if we are forced to take a higher rental property, by the grant. They said they would see if PILTHS (not sure of spelling) but that is a legal clearing house I think! Would take it on.....not positive at all though.

As for our business losses, I have to speak to consumer affairs about that, but I doubt it will be covered! Never mind that I also didn't work tonight so I could attend and wont work tomorrow night so i can attend the safety meeting, there goes $600 in pay, but who cares?

So back to the property searches, no option to put our head in the sand as I do think our rear ends may be set alight (Perhaps then we will receive some compensation? Hah!)

I know I am being funny here, but to be honest I am in tears. I feel so lost and let down and have no where to go. I cant even protect my own family at the moment.....

Methane Conduits

Well the house hunting went bad, it was raining heavily! We (Thankyou to friends who minded the kids) looked at 3 houses, one was too far away and bungalow too small, one was too run down and storage area let water in (Glad it was raining so we could see that!) and third one was just plain weird! So nothing so far.

I ended up texting the DHS worker asking for confirmation of their advise in writing. I then received an email stating that they would only pay the difference in rent if we were not also having to pay for our current property. I knew it had to be wrong! They also confirmed they requested another Methane monitor that also monitors carbon dioxide for the bathroom cabinet, which is a shared wall with Jaidens' bedroom.

Nathan is pushing that we become ostriches and stick our head in the sand, like a few residents here........and not move.
Our landlord asked me, "How I would feel about that?". I replied, "I would be an ostrich with an ulcer!"

So tonight I was looking up images for you of ostriches with their head in the sand and gave myself a little chuckle.....you see we would end up inhaling methane and it would escape through our ar**es! lol We might be able to blow them up if we try hard enough! (Oh ghee it's good to have a laugh for a change!)

The kids have been really trying today. Not following any instructions, doing things they know they shouldn't....Jaiden kept kicking the back of my car seat while I was driving.....I was so frustrated, I grabbed his leg and yelled at him.......what happened to that lovely parenting?

So now we have to really think about prioritising things. The kids need their routine back, I go back to my part time job on Wednesday. The business is also suffering and we just cant look at houses for several hours each day. So I think we are stuck here, against our will.

I am a sensitive one....case that is.

Today I have been searching for rental properties again. I have located a potential property, but the rental amount is $80 more per week. Not surprising given the current rental market. I was unsure if the grant would cover this difference, so thought I should check.

So I rang DHS at Dandenong, asking for the grants section. I was then forwarded to the City of Casey at the Balla Balla centre. They wanted me to make an appointment for DHS. I explained I was already speaking to a worker and had already had an appointment. They then walked up the hallway....clonk.. clonk.. clonk.. go the high heels

.....then I hear the entire conversation. Apparently "this is a sensitive one" and they wanted the same worker dealing with me to call me back. They said they would do it within 15 minutes.

Lovely to hear that I have been categorised as a sensitive one. I am amazed at how successful they are at getting you upset. I don't want to be a sensitive one, I just want some help to find a safe place to live, it was a simple question I was clarifying.......are my expectations too high?

Time out today

Today we vacated the area for the Royal Melbourne Show. We thought that the kids needed a break and some fun. Although Hannah has a cold, she managed quite well. She is coughing and spluttering tonight. The ventolin is on standby!

I have to admit I felt really angry when we saw the City of Casey bus in the carpark. I know it was probably being used for a program, but a part of me wanted to dent that bus! How can they be at the show having fun, while we still don't know where we are heading? That's how I felt, it's irrational and not fair at all, but it was there.

The kids went on rides, Hannah saw twin lambs being born, which she thought was 'gross'. We spent a lot on showbags, probably more than normal as we are feeling guilty that they have been so stressed. So when Hannah couldn't decide between two, I bought them both! When Jaiden really wanted the 150 year AFL football, I bought it. Who cares anymore, really we live in an area where there is methane that can blow up, what's an extra showbag in the scheme of things?

We lost the kids!

Hannah and Jaiden disappeared out the front door today. Hannah was frantic that our dog, Jessica had gotten out, she ran down the hallway out of the house with the lead so quickly! Before I could get my shoes on they were out of site. They had run to the corner of the street. Hannah was beside herself that Jessica was gone and the steam would get her! I managed to get them home, only to discover that Jessica was safe and sound in the backyard. Hannah promptly put a lead on her so she knew where she was! It's funny how she isn't so concerned about Bailey, our other dog, but I guess that's Jaiden's dog and responsibility!

p.s. forgot to mention Jaiden wet the bed last night, they stayed at their uncles, as they watched the football there. This is the second time in 3 days, it would only happen about 2 times a year.

Street Information Sessions

There was another information session held in local streets today, facilitated by the EPA, CFA, DHS and monitoring technicians. What can I say, there are still no guarantees, they are likening it to preparing for a bushfire if you stay, you need to prepare for changes. There was no further information that changed my mind that we should be looking for another property. There were some angry residents there, who were upset by the way they were treated when contacting City of Casey seeking information, or were left waiting from someone to check the methane monitors, but no-one turned up. (Our house was checked again today by CFA and was given the all clear.)

There were also some residents saying that their houses were shaking in the middle of the night. The CFA tried to say that it was the quarry blasting that I have mentioned before, but I don't think they blast in the middle of the night. They were a bit harsh on this resident, and he denied he imagined it! I did get the impression that they think some of us are jittery and are reporting things that are not due to the methane. But they also don't know, as to repeat what they have said, this has NEVER happened before. Sorry if we are all feeling a bit frazzled like this cat!

Jude Perera State Member for Cranbourne was walking the streets today. I have to say I have never ever seen so many politicians and councilors walking the pavement! When is election time again? I am sure council elections are soon.

I met with the DHS worker after the meeting and the EPA person. They are going to try and have the remediation works done on our house asap, as they know it will take some time to find another property. Lets see if that happens.

Feeling horrible

Well this morning I woke after having a really horrible dream that Jaiden had died. I was looking at him and he seemed so alive, so I was ringing my close friend to confirm that he was dead. She said, "yes he died, it happened yesterday". ....................then I woke up.

You see, we have been through a lot of trauma. Jaiden and Hannah were born 15 weeks too early. We spent months wondering if they would survive.


They were on home oxygen for almost 9 months, we were petrified by colds (I still am!). We have had many many trips to hospital by ambulance and our own transport.

Perhaps I was feeling a little safer as for the last 12 months (touch wood) we haven't had any hospital trips. He has gotten through his viral infections.

and

then methane comes along, I no longer feel safe as it along with the other gases it can (in a large concentration) cause oxygen to be displaced. I can't control it, no-one can. The monitor underneath the sink only monitors there. I even inquired if an oxygen saturation monitor on Jaiden would alarm us, unfortunately it wont.

So my dreams are also affected........I now want to find that bubble I wanted when they were born again, so they are protected and safe..

Renters delight..

I now know why we came out as far as Cranbourne when we were looking for our current home. They are terrible! Today I saw 2 properties. One was $380 per week, had suitable room for the business, but the house had only one living area. Heating was only in the lounge room. The walls had some holes in them, some had a border of wall paper and two paint tones, some had different hues of grey, to a really dark grey. The garden was a huge mess. It need at least a few months work on it, the fences were falling down and the next door neighbour was swearing at someone else in their backyard!

The other house.....well there is someone not very well living in the street, hassling people so the agent wouldn't even consider an application from a family.

So back to the drawing board. I have a huge headache, Hannah is still screeching, would it be reasonable to knock her out for a while????

This is seriously depressing......what are we going to do.......

How close are we?

I thought I should put this into some perspective for you all. We are very close to the Stevensons Road landfill in Cranbourne, where the methane is escaping from. In fact we are about 10 metres from it, but not at the top end where the house recorded the high methane gas reading. Here are some photos from our back fence. The second one is zoomed in so you can see some of the activity. That thin post in the first one is a methane burner. We can see the flame burning from our living room.


Here is a map of the area that has been identified as at risk and an indication of the area that we live in. The blue area is where we live, the red shaded is the hot spot closer to the high methane levels. The red rectangle is the area that the CFA advised to residents to relocate if they wanted to ensure they were 100% safe.

Disturbances

Ok it is 12.00 lunchtime and I am still in my dressing gown! I have a handyman installing a deadlock on the front door ti increase the security of the property. Thankyou to our landlords.

DHS have rang several times to 'keep in touch'. They also scouted a potential property.....not sure if it will be suitable or not. At least they did something though. I do think they should come and visit and see how we live, as the property was nothing like this at all. It was nothing that I would consider to sign a lease for by the photos.

The Cranbourne Star newspaper rang to update things. They also passed details on for a lovely lady who has offered her property. I will speak to Nathan about this offer when her returns from work.

The drilling has continued in the nature strip, they have finished now.
Here is what it looks like. Doesn't seem like anything sinister. They are installing them about every 5th house along.

I'm off to look at a property now! My second or is it third job!

Tiredness and the house hunting begins

I am so tired, I was up until 12.30 scouring the rental websites. Today, I hope to look at a few, that's if the agents will allow me to, as they normally wait for open for inspections times. Fingers crossed. I also somehow have to find all of our ID and payslips etc etc we can't find anything at the moment as we have clothes everywhere from relocating.

I found these two to look at today.

Awesome large renovated house, this property is so large it would ideally suit several friends, offering up to 4 bedrooms and 3 Living zones, property has new carpet, split systems, ensuite to master bedroom, renovated main bathroom, Large backyard, shed, OUTSIDE PETS OK, modern colours, INSPECTION WILL IMPRESS. . .

(No Picture for this one) 4 BEDROOMS, MASTER WITH HUGE FULL ENSUITE & SPA BATH, ALL OTHER BEDROOMS WITH ROBES. BUNGALOW AT REAR OF PROPERTY WITH 2 SEPERATE LIVING AREAS. OPEN PLAN LIVING AREAS WITH FLOATING TIMBER FLOORS, KITCHEN WITH GAS APPLIANCES, ELECTRIC WALL HEATER, HUGE 4 CAR GARAGE WITH SHELVING.


Jaiden and Hannah had a 'normal' morning this morning, it was actually pleasant compared to what it has been lately. Today is the last day of school for them before the holidays.

We received a lot of information about the monitoring in the mail box last night. After reading about 8 pages, it is really unclear on what we should do.

Do we stay here and know that the area is being monitored for at least 12 months? or do we move to a different rental property, putting us at the mercy of the rental market again. (One great thing about where we are now, is that the property was available to us for as long as we wanted it. A certain rarity in the rental market. We had to leave our last property as the owners wanted to move back in) I wonder what anyone reading this would do?

I am afraid of rushing things, but it does really appear that this is a long term issue...

DHS Rang!

We got a phone call!! and an appointment from DHS....don't get too exited though, we need to know where we are moving to and have documentation on the costs before we can apply for the grant. There is no help in locating somewhere. So we are back to square 1! So one minute we have an appointment, next we don't. I have been speaking to Cr Kevin Bradford regularly today, who is trying to apply some pressure.

I was quite clear with the DHS manager that we needed help locating somewhere! That it wasn't as easy as it sounds as there are no suitable properties available. Cr Kevin Bradford even rang with a property he thought may be suitable (but it was all closed up so we don't know).

While I was talking the the DHS manager the phone was disconnected, from the drilling outside I think. I tried to ring back but was told there was no such manager there. Reception kept asking for the name of the child to put us through to child protection. For the 3rd time I explained we were talking to a manager about the Relocation grants, eventually they just put me back to Casey Council, who said they had nothing to do with it! That is a great indication of how things are being run and how supported we are.

I don't want to sound like I am whinging but we run our home based business from our 3 car garage. Without it we can't pay the kids school fees. That would be the last thing we would ever want to happen, so we have to keep the business running through all this turmoil. We have already lost money in the past week, as I have not been able to keep up or be available to answer phone queries. Can't do that while I look for a home to live in!

I am also concerned about rushing things, although we want to be safe, we don't want to lock ourselves into something that isn't right either.

The kids have returned from school. Hannah is spending lots of time with our dog, Jessica. She keeps tethering her to places so she knows where she is! She locked Jessica's lead in the sliding door, so she knew she couldn't go anywhere....

Home, what is that again, isn't it meant to provide stability and security? It doesn't seem like that any more...

Lungs and dirt!

Well this afternoon I followed up with Jaiden's Pediatrician, who provided a slip for Venous Blood gas test for Jaiden. He also wrote a letter advising,

"(Jaiden)He has severe lung disease. He was an ex 25 week premature and had oxygen for months. He is a very high risk for respiratory disorders and needs to be treated very careful - especially in his environment"

Makes me feel fantastic knowing I have had no choice but to return him to the house.
I also spoke the Jaiden's respiratory specialists rooms who didn't really know what the impact may be. I caught them on the hop a bit as they had never had to look up methane exposure before!

They are now drilling a hole for a monitor in the nature strip next door. There is also another one (they are slightly different) that was drilled a few days ago 4 doors up. The drillers advised this was a part of stage 1. I'll be damned if the residents have ever been informed of any stages, other than the "If you want to be 100% safe then you should relocate!". I also hope they are monitoring the air quality as every time I open the door I have to sweep the floor from all the dirt and dust that is flying around from the drilling everywhere.


Other than that, I also contacted Councillor Kevin Bradford and expressed concerns regarding the $8000 grant application that we don't know about. It's 3.17pm and no call back from DHS about an appointment tomorrow. I wonder if I will get one...................................

Killer steam and the great grant chase!

Thursday 18th
Today we looked at 2 rental properties. One is suitable enough for an interim period, but would not be long term. I think we have negotiated a month to month term. But we have no money to do this!

Jude Perra's office rang to advise the grant office payment was not taxable income. He advised
"DHS emergency grants are not assessable income under section 6-5 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 as they are not income according to concepts that define ordinary income under the Act. Ordinary income has generally been held to include three categories, namely income from rendering personal services, income from property and income from carrying on a business. DHS emergency grants provided are not earned by taxpayer recipients as they do not relate to services performed and therefore fall outside the definition of ordinary income.

Australian Taxation Office's Taxation Determination 2006/22 and ATO Interpretive Decision 2003/568 support and illustrate the above statement. "

I then rang DHS to ascertain when they would meet with us regarding the grant. Their reception tried to put me back to the Casey number! I advised it was DHS handling this. I then spoke to a case worker who advised they are scheduling meetings tomorrow at the Balla Balla centre and would ring and advise a time.

More time away from home, not working for my business, our income had reduced because of this. Sorry to all our customers who have not received their party supplies! We are trying our best.

On the way to school today Hannah wanted to take the dog with her. She had a tantrum when I said no. In the car both of them told me they are worried about the steam killing the dogs and they want them with them. I tried to explain the gas the best that I could. It sounded like they had talked about it together before they spoke to me. It's funny the things that they stress about are so different to us. It is certainly having an impact upon them. Last night Jaiden was in my bed, so I could watch his breathing and in the middle of the night he literally crawled on top of me and didn't want to let go!

I think people have forgotten this is about families and people and children and dogs!

Retrospective on our evacuation

I've decided to start keeping a blog on our methane journey.
A bit of background, We live at Brookland Greens, we rent here and moved in about 3 months ago. We were ecstatic to locate a suitable property and know that we had it as long as we wanted. A rarity in the rental market these days, however we have discovered methane leaks are too!

It is a lovely property, 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas, study and 3 car garage which houses our home business www.blissfulkidsparties.com.au

I live here with my husband, Nathan and two children who are 6 years of age, Hannah and Jaiden. Hannah and Jaiden both have Chronic Lung disease after being born 15 weeks premature.

We are an average family that just gets by. We work really hard to pay for a good school for Hannah and Jaiden to attend. In fact we sold our house in Brookland Greens 3 years ago so we could send them to a good school. In hindsight we are relived we did that now!

So I'm going to update on what has happened so far, it may be a bit scrambled as I am!

3 weeks before announcement
A knock at the door came with a methane monitor for our house. We had been advised the council wanted to monitor for methane leaking from the tip site. The monitor stayed for about 4 days I think, there were no readings of methane. The monitors are very noisy as they circulate air through a pump. They sit underneath the sink, as that is where they think it is most likely the methane will appear. Methane monitor was removed after clear readings and no further information was provided.

Saturday 6th
We received a notice from the council underneath the front door mat, advising a house had recorded a high reading.

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/updatesstevensonsroad/article.asp?item=13326' (See download for documentations we received)

We didn't think much of it to be honest, it didn't really sound like we were at risk at all, so we continued with our normal weekend activities.

Wednesday 10th
We noticed an increase in activity in the estate. This had been building for some time. Men with florescent striped clothing holding tubes testing drains. We started to call them the tube men!

We also saw the late news about the leak.

Thursday 11th
Another notice was received in the letter box from Casey Council, this time more serious!

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/updatesstevensonsroad/article.asp?item=13419

We were unaware there was a public meeting the night before as we didn't receive the notice.

At 10.00am I attended the information tent that was set up, there were not many people there at that time. We were not provided with much information, the council workers suggested we wait until other emergency personnel attended. The children were at school at this time.

At 1.00pm I went to the tent again. This time it was very busy. We were advised we were located within the boundary of the area where they were recommending relocation. See the language here, recommending relocation, not evacuation!!


I also inquired about the health risks. I was informed a high concentration of methane would cause aspysication, when probing further this was due to their also being carbon dioxide. I advised DHS, City of Casey and the EPA that I had children with a chronic lung condition and any reduction in air quality was an issue. The EPA then advised Casey Council Officer that we needed a methane monitor in or house URGENTLY and PERMANENTLY. The officer wrote our name on a list with any many more names.

I rang our pediatrician that afternoon, who advised Jaiden was at a higher risk and he recommended some blood test to check his lung function.

The information meeting that night was distressing. We attended as a family to the Old Shire Officers. It was too small and many people (Over 200) were left outside. Inside people were shouting, my son had his hands over his ears and was becoming upset at the yelling that was happening.

After the decision to relocate the meeting, my husband took the children home to a house with no meter, with no information on whether they were safe there, while I attended the rest of the meeting at the Balla Balla Community Centre.

We were advised like many others that the only way to guarantee our safety was for us to relocate. There were no time frames and limited health information.

The meeting was poorly run with people yelling out in teh crowd. I became very frustrated standing up in front of 300 people telling someone to stop yelling out!! Very unlike me!! I wanted to know about when we were receiving the monitors, given we were advised ours was urgent, and did that mean the house was safe. There were no answers as they didn't have enough monitors and were waiting on a delivery from the US. We applied for the $1067 grant.

I left our home with my two children, while my husband remained there.
Upon leaving Hannah said to her Dad,
"Dad if you see steam, call the fire brigade, please."
At 12.30 at night we arrived at a friends house, waking their entire family.

Friday 12th
The children went to school as normal. I returned to the house to work and try and get a monitor. It was disorganized and hectic. No-one could tell me about the carbon dioxide, no-one could tell me when we were getting a monitor. Even my landlord was ringing the council trying to get one for us! We finally received a monitor at 6.00pm that night. The CFA came and checked the house and didn't detect anything. The monitor was beeping every minute so we rang the council number who sent out the CFA. They advised this monitor does this to let you know it is still working. So the monitor was seen by a technition, two lots of CFA and then my husband informed me 3 hours later that the power wasnt turned on where it was plugged in! (Are we meant to feel confident?)

I also caught a CFA person up the street to ask more detailed questions about the carbon dioxide. I was informed that it is heavier than air, so stays closer to the ground. That is it released in a certain proportion to the methane. I was told that the methane is likely to be in a confined space where there is an entry point through the slab, which is why they put the monitors underneath the kitchen sink. I asked if the carbon dioxide stayed with teh methane in the enclosed space, they were not sure. I asked if the carbon dioxide would spread throughout the house, again they were not sure. I also asked if the monitor meant the house was free of methane, I was informed that the kitchen sink cupboard was free of it, but that was all that was guaranteed.

We had no-where to go that night, so stayed in the house. I didn't sleep at all, as I watched my son throughout the night to check his breathing. He slept with me.

Saturday 13th
We decided that the risk was to great and that were were leaving. We were lucky enough to be offered a friends holiday house in Point Lonsdale. A bit of a sea breeze sounded great.

Before we left we went to the Balla Balla Centre to apply fro the $8000 grant to vacate the property. I had to sit through an interview, show them ID and estimate our costs. We advised our current rental per month, how much bond we paid. They estimated $500 for a removalist, $200 I think for boxes and some money towards my son's medical cost to see his pediatrician. We were advised we should receive payment probably Tuesday.

So off to a holiday house in Point Lonsdale via the Ferry, as it was now 5.oopm! We had Fish and chips for dinner in the dark, being eaten by mosquitoes! At least for the first night we slept! I was exhausted, and the children were too.

Sunday 14th
Today we went for a bike ride with the kids and then packed up to return to Melbourne as the kids had school tomorrow. We went to stay at a family members, however that didn't work out. So Jaiden went to one school friends for the night and Hannah to another. This was all organized at the last minute. I am really grateful to their school friends families for helping us out. Nathan and I stayed at the house on our own. when we returned to the house the monitor was dea. Not working at all. So we rang and were advised how to reset it. (Again are we meant to feel confident we are safe?)

Monday 15th
Today I tried to locate some other accommodation so the kids don't have to stay somewhere else. We found another family member not too far away. The twins had to share a single bed and my husband and I were on a blow up mattress, which deflates. So we slept on the floor. The kids are showing signs of stress. They are not doing as they are asked and Hannah is often screatching at us. She was meant to have a neuropsychologist assessment today at the Children s Hospital to assess for a learning disability, however that was canceled. We don't know when it will happen now.

When I returned to the house today, the monitor was dead again. So I rang and technition came and replaced it. (Are we confident we are safe yet, No!)

Tuesday 16th
On Tuesdays I attend a course for my part time teaching work. If I don't complete the course I will not be able to continue this work. Today I postponed the course as I hadn't been able to complete the assessment and there was no hope of being able to concentrate when we didn't know where we were living.

We stayed at a family members house again tonight. Jaiden wet the bed and Hannah was distressed that she also got wet! The kids are tired and asking how long we have to stay there.

After hearing nothing about our grant application I went back to the Balla Balla centre. I was informed by a City of Casey worker that there was a glitch and they could not tell me if our application was approved or when we could expect it.

I reiterated that we were moving to different houses each night, that we didn't know where we were going. We had looked at real estate listings but there appeared to be nothing to accommodate us and our small business. I was advised to perhaps walk around to the real estate agents and talk to them. I express my exasperation at how I was meant to do this, run our business and care for the children, let alone also pack up a house. They then advised that it may be an idea to look at holiday accommodation. How can I do this when we have not received the grant and have no idea if it is coming? I left in tears.....

At 4.30ish a DHS worker rang to ascertain if we were still not in the house and when we expected to return. We advised when it was safe!

In desperation for some help, I rang the Liberal Party, I rang ABC 774, I rang anyone!

I couldn't attend the council meeting as I had to care for the kids. However it is no relief to us that residents don't have to pay rates. What about renters?

Wednesday 17th
Today I have had enough, all of us have low fuses, we are all exhausted and want to know where we are heading. In desperation I spoke to the Herald Sun, who sent a photographer. I spoke to Neil Mitchel appealing for accommodation (We have still no-where to go) and the Cranbourne Star newspaper.

It is appalling that NO-One has received the grant. I was informed by a DHS case manager that they have taken over payment of the grant and that we will have to attend another assessment interview. They could not advise when that would happen or payment would be made. They grant a $600 payment in the interim.....how will that help to get a rental property? Well they said it would help with a hotel for a few nights! Mind you it was coming out of the small estimate of what we need to move! Not only that but apparently it is now regarded as income, so we will loose some family tax benefit as well!

My husband is so cross he was threatening to do a Taxi protest on South Gippsland Highway. I have never seen him like this.

So tonight we decided to stay at the house, we are defeated, we have no-where to go, the children are distressed and need to be settled. I will just watch my son's breathing all night, knowing that we are going against his pediatricians recommendation. But the Council, DHS no-one seems to care about it.

Jude Perria's Office also door knocked today, we advised them of all of these issues. They said they would look into it further.

A technition also attended and downloaded the info from the meter, saying it was all clear.